The Devil's Obsession
by Mariah April May
Summary: Is the devil actually capable of falling in love? His soul is dark - his love is selfish, obsessive. While some say love can change people, Elena must find out if she can truly make him a better person, or will she find it is all a glorious lie and he will break her unmercifully - just like he always does.
1. The Devil's Sacrifice

**Chapter 1: 'The Devil's Sacrifice'**

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 **Disclaimer: All the characters belong to their rightful owners. (I'll use one disclaimer for the whole story)**

 **Warning: This story is dark themed. It will have controversial content. Again, there is obsessive love. So, if you're not comfortable with that, don't read. Again, over time characters would grow, I promise that.**

 **The actual story starts from the Chapter 2, this is just background story.**

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The town of Mystic Falls had always been considered a very odd place. And not just because it was cursed and abandoned almost a century ago when a group of allegedly dangerous witches and warlocks were burnt alive by a mob but also because some open-minded people could still hear the chilling chanting of spells and agonized cries of help as if someone was being subjected to cruel barbaric torture. It had been said that the witches and warlocks never died: instead they attained immortality when they were killed.

Everyone thought of these rumors as a myth, yet they stayed away as far from Mystic Falls as they could get - including the Gilberts, a recognized and respected family who lived fairly near Mystic Falls. Dr. Grayson Gilbert (being a practical man) didn't believe in supernatural legends or creatures - but his wife did. Miranda was a researcher. She had an obsession with supernatural shows and stories about witchcraft. Secretly, she believed it and was fascinated with this theory.

During her maternal leave, she would spend all day reading about mythical creatures, dark witchcraft, their connection with Mystic Falls, their history. Their boundless power and their mystery mesmerized her. Dr. Gilbert always took her hobby for a childish obsession and never stopped her investigations.

One weekend, Dr. Gilbert left for a conference leaving her alone at house. Bored, Miranda decided to take a trip to the abandoned town simply out of curiosity.

She had barely crossed the barrier when her sixth sense tickled a warning. For the first time since she began her journey, she felt fear. Quickly, she turned the car around and rushed back to the safety of her house, still feeling as if she was being watched. But as days passed, she forgot all about the frightening experience at Mystic Falls.

After due time, just a few days before her delivery, Miranda miscarried. She and her husband were devastated as they had been really excited to be having a sweet little baby. But time heals all wounds and a year later, the couple were expecting again. Sadly, she miscarried for a second time.

The couple tried once more and were so glad when they found out they were expecting for a third time. This time around, Miranda was extra careful - so careful that she took some 'extra steps'. With the knowledge of all her research, she got into contact with a psychic. She wanted to know if her third child would survive a complete and successful pregnancy. Her heart broke into shatters of glass when the psychic grimly told her that she would miscarry again in the final trimester.

Desperate, she asked for a solution to save her baby.

"Fates are sealed; you can't change them." The man answered firmly. "Although there is possibly a way."

"I'll do anything." Miranda pleaded.

"When you disturb fate and shape it into what you want, it may lead to terrible repercussions." The man cautioned, a mysterious expression on his face.

"I don't care; I just want to save my baby," The distraught mother replied.

"Very well, then," The man replied, standing to his feet. "My dear lady, do you know about the town of Mystic Falls."

"Yes, that abandoned town, of course, everyone does." Miranda replied, confusion written on her face. She did not understand how this rather odd question would help save her unborn child.

"Oh, my dear," the psychic exclaimed, his gravelly voice hinting at the mysterious. "It's not abandoned at all. On the contrary, it's filled with people… people with great but terrible powers. Powers that could change fates. And after all, they've chosen you years ago."

"Chosen me? Chosen me for what?" Miranda asked, curiosity and concern laced in a voice that spoke a tad bit too quick for someone that did not understand the psychic's meaning.

"You'll know." The man chuckled with a knowing glance. "To change fate, you'll have to call the witches of darkness,"

"What?"

"Miranda, I know you know all about witches and warlocks of darkness. You know who we are. You know we worship the dark spirit."

"I… How do you know my name?" Her eyes widened. "And what do you mean 'we'?"

"Do you really think it's coincidence you found me?" The man smiled. "Now, you've have two options, forget this happened and you will lose your child. You'll never be able to conceive after this." He paused to let the gravity of his words sink in. "Or you could join us. You will give birth to a healthy child. You and your husband will finally get what you've both been yearning for." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "We can give you everything you want, but there is a price."

"What price?" His words were tempting her.

"This child, we'll give it life, but we'll own her. She'll be ours."

"What nonsense?" Miranda shrieked, jumping to her feet.

"Miranda, it's the only way. Your child - she can only survive with my help. I'll have my most powerful warlock save her. And he will. But she'll be linked to him. She'll be his heart. The devil's heart. And she must return to him one day."

"Let me think about it." Miranda spoke faintly, not sure why she thought this was a good idea in the first place.

"You don't have much time, Miranda, as your final trimester starts in one week." The man said cautioningly. "But I'll give you some space to think. When you make your decision, just call my name and I'll be there." He nodded his head. "Although I already know your decision." The strange man murmured, quietly.

"What's your name?" Miranda asked, a faint tremor in her voice.

"Cade, the king of hell."

..

..

Miranda had agreed to Cade. He welcomed her decision with open arms and introduced her to a handsome, blue eyed, dark haired man. Cade told her that the man was his most powerful and dangerous warlock. No one knew his name but he was known as Devil in their world. Devil would sacrifice his heart for the life of her daughter.

She saw the ritual right before her very own eyes. She saw the man plunge the shining dagger in Devil's chest and take out his pulsating heart, chanting something peculiar, as he presented the bloody, gruesome sacrifice to the dark spirit.

Cade told her that now Miranda's daughter was Cade.

True to the psychic promise, Miranda did deliver a healthy baby girl. Grayson named her Elena as in "the light." She was the light and the hope of their lives, after all.

Lost in her immense happiness and raising her daughter, Miranda forgot her promise to the king of hell and the warlock known as Devil, until odd things started to happen.

Sometimes, at nights, Miranda would hear Elena crying but when she went to tend to her, she found the child sound asleep. Elana's first words were 'demon'. As she grew up, she told her mother that she saw dreams of a dark haired handsome man.

Afraid, Miranda finally told everything to her husband, including her deal with the king of Hell. Grayson had been furious. He immediately contacted a friend who was also a researcher.

"Do you have any idea what you've done, Miranda? You made a deal with the devil? Do you how dangerous the dark spirit worshippers are?" John shouted as soon as heard the whole story.

"I only wanted to save my daughter, John. I was desperate." Miranda said through broken sobs.

"There is no point to cry. Your daughter is the heart of the deadly warlock. His life lies in hers. She's his. And this is all your fault." John frowned, his face a thundercloud of emotions.

"John, I know what I did was wrong but I've already lost two children. I can't lose my baby girl, I'll die without her! Please, you have to save her." Miranda was weeping as if her heart would break. She could barely breathe from the panic in her heart.

"It's no use. She's a part of his being. She's alive because of his sacrifice. She's his soul. We can't part them unless…"

"Unless, what?" Miranda asked, still sad but hopeful.

"I know a warlock…" Miranda flinched but John continued on. "Not that type of warlock, Miranda. I mean a good warlock. They're known as the ones who never sin. Maybe, he can help us."

..

..

Grayson made an urgent call and demanded his friend John to meet him as soon as he possibly could. The angelic warlock arrived a few hours later. A light skinned, blonde haired, handsome man, he assured the fearful parents that he could save their daughter.

"There is nothing but deep darkness within her soul but when my soul merges with hers, the devil can't touch her until she is eighteen. And since she'll be a part of my soul too, she will not solely belong to him. He can't control her or attract her to himself. To get her back, he'll have to win her heart - but I won't let that happen. I'll win her heart first. Once she's mine, he'll be gone from her life forever." He explained this patiently to the distraught parents.

"So, what you're saying is, she'll either be your soulmate or his?" Grayson questioned.

The Angel warlock nodded. "I'll be a part of her so naturally we'll be attracted."

"But, isn't Elena alive because of the… the Devil's sacrifice. They say, she's his heart. Doesn't that mean, she'll be attracted to him too?" Grayson asked.

"Yes, she will be." The blonde man answered sadly.

"But for eighteen years she will be safe from him, right?" Miranda asked, face hopeful.

"Yes," the Angel replied confidently.

"And after she turns eighteen you will come and win her." Grayson spoke again. He didn't like promising his daughter's to someone. Especially someone with magic. But then again, it was better than sending his daughter with the devil.

"I hope so," the Angel looked thoughtful, but spoke encouraging words. If only they knew that he couldn't confirm that as the absolute truth!

Grayson and Miranda pondered over it for a couple of days. Ultimately, they decided to go with John's plan. They were desperate and all they wanted was their darling daughter to be safe from all evil.

..

..

Devil felt it. The night the angel warlock merged with his Elena's soul, he felt it and he was furious. He rushed to her house, but it was too late. It was as if he couldn't even step close to the family's house. He had to stay away from his princess of darkness for eighteen long years now.

He felt sorely betrayed. He sacrificed his heart for her. She was alive because of him. How could they do that to him? How could they part him from his heart? Hatred and anger boiled his blood. He trusted them with his heart and they wanted to take it away. He would take revenge for it. He would take revenge for every painful moment he had to suffer because of their cruel decision.

But this wouldn't last forever, he vowed. Somehow, no matter what it took, he would have his princess back.

Soon.

Oh, so very soon.

His evil laugh was heard for miles around by those that have ears to hear a warlocks cry. And shivers ran down the listener's spines - for when a warlock is laughing, no good can come from it.

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A/N: The devil and the angel mentioned in the story are not actually devil and angel, they're just called that. They are warlocks (In Harry Potter language you can call them wizards). If you like the chapter, do review, I'll only post further if the response is positive enough.

The editing credits goes to my exceptionally wonderful beta **Rachael (** **JessicaRae95)**. You, my dear, are amazing. Thank you for your time and such detailed work.

Review?


	2. The devil's plans

**Chapter 2: 'The devil's plans'**

The scattered scars shone silver against pale skin, but his icy blue eyes glittered as malevolently as they ever did. He was staring coldly at his victim. The man in front of him shivered in fear from his angry countenance. Once upon a time, they used to be friends - but not anymore. The man had broken the oath. He'd done the unforgiveable.

The cult of darkness never tolerated deceit. Once you've made a promise with them there was no going back. Once you joined the cult, the only escape was death itself. The worshippers of the dark spirit were bound by an oath. As long as they followed the orders given by the cult leader, they had access to boundless powers as a reward. But the dire repercussions of failing to follow orders were beyond just "dangerous". The cult of darkness was ruthless - merciless. No one was ever spared or forgiven.

"Please, I beg you, I was intending to disrespect Cade, he… he must have gotten the wrong news." The warlock's friend begged as he frantically shoved his younger brother behind him.

The angry warlock stepped closer. His eyes were terribly calm but every fiber of his being screamed danger. Ahriman and his younger brother Seth were the members of his cult. They had tried to secretly overthrow their king. But Cade, the chief of blood-drinking warlocks, wasn't easy to fool. He sent his most trusted warlock, Damon, the king of demons and all evil, to finish off the traitors.

Before Ahriman could even defend himself, Damon had sucked his powers, making him no less powerful than simple humans. He was at Damon's mercy now.

"You can't lie to me. I feed off sins." Damon said in that low, dangerous tone that skimmed along the culprit's nerves to leave him strangely chilled to the bone.

Long ago, when he chose the cult of darkness, he'd given up on his humanity. The blood contaminated with sins was his food now. That's why everyone called him "the devil" - ruthless - merciless devil.

"I can smell lies from a mile away." Damon added, stepping even closer to the cowering figures.

"Damon, we were friends. I know I've committed a crime. I shouldn't have conspired against Cade. It was the sirens, they convinced me." The bulky man pleaded, going down on his knees.

"Don't waste your energy. We've left our humanity long ago. There is no point to beg forgiveness. People who consider themselves redeemable can only ask for that. We are unredeemable. Mistakes can't be pardoned here." He explained, circling the duo warlocks. "Now, tell me why did you conspire against us?"

"My younger brother… Cade wanted his soul. I couldn't let him do that. I joined the cult, my brother didn't. It's unfair." The doomed man tried pleading one last time.

"Do you remember your oath?" Damon asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Didn't you agree to give any sacrifice whenever or whatever chief demands. That's the price of your powers."

"I… I never thought he would…" Ahriman trailed off.

"Why were you saving him?" Damon asked, looking at Seth.

"He's my younger brother… I love…"

"Love!" Damon hissed, his face scrunched up into a look of utter disgust. "There is that word again. That wretched, horrid, terrible word. Why is it so terrible? Love wounds, love binds, love makes one anguish, love leads to weakness. Love is weakness… and why would anyone want to feel weak?" He asked them, a smirk playing on his dry lips. "There is no place for love in our world." His fist slowly curled and before he could chant a spell to freeze Ahriman's heart, Ahriman interrupted.

"No. No. Please. I…I can give you something."

"I'm listening." Damon replied, annoyed. He did not like these cat and mouse games.

"Your Queen. You're forced to stay away from her because of the magic of the one who never sins. I have a way you can reach her before the other warlock does."

"Is there idiot written on my face?" Damon snarled, pointing to his livid countenance. "I'm the king of demons. My magic is a thousand times stronger than yours. If I couldn't find a loophole in the spell, how do you think you can?"

"Cade's emerald ring. It will allow you to be around her. Cade knew that, but he never told you. You know why? Because he never wanted you to have her. He wants her soul to merge with the warlock of goodness. He's planning something big." Ahriman blabbed in one breath.

"And why should I believe you?" Damon asked, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

"You're the devil. You can smell lies. You'll know if I'm lying." Ahriman countered.

Damon remained quiet for a moment, pondering on what he had just found out. His mind whirled uncontrollably with thoughts. If there is one thing he never compromised on, it was his queen - his heart. He drew a deep breath. "I believe you."

"Now, do you understand why it's important to over throw the chief?" Ahriman seemed relaxed now.

"Can you keep a secret?" Damon asked, smirking at the relieved man.

"Of course."

"I was planning to over throw him all along." Damon added, wickedly.

Ahriman swallowed. A plan formed in his head. If he told this to Cade, it would turn into a war. Both Damon and Cade were powerful warlocks. They would battle until they killed each other.

"What's the matter, Ahriman? My secret is too big for you to keep. You're itching to tell it to Cade, aren't you?"

"No… I…" Ahriman was brought out of his thoughts by Damon's comment. His heart felt chilled again.

"I can see the plans forming in your head." Damon added, smiling. "No matter. I know how to make sure you'll keep your word." Damon's eyes gleamed evilly as he stepped closer to the cowering men.

Before Ahriman could protest, Damon clenched his fist, rapidly chanting an ancient incantation.

Blood ozzed out of both Ahriman and his brother's mouths. They fell on their knees, breathing heavily, squirming, begging. With click of his fingers, their hearts shot out of their chests and lay at Damon's feet.

"You can't tell if you're dead." Damon chuckled, bending down on his knees. He picked up the older man by his hand, breathing in the blood. It smelled of darkness and sins.

To stay immortal, Damon needed blood. He cradled the man's neck before sinking his teeth deep into the still throbbing vein.

..

..

Cade was pleased that Damon came back announcing complete success in his mission. Cade somehow still knew Damon was hiding something. When he demanded an explanation, Damon didn't refuse and told him everything… except for the part where Damon admitted he had plans to over throw Cade.

"He's right. I did have something that would've helped you. I didn't tell you intentionally. But Ahriman

lied when he said that I wanted the warlock of goodness to have your Queen. It's simply not possible."

"And why is that?" Damon demanded.

"Today is your Queen's eighteenth birthday, as you know, and the shield of your sacrifice will lift off tonight. Sadly, I see death in her fate. She'll die tonight as the clock strikes twelve. Tic. Toc. Tic. Toc." Cade spoke very casually as if he was simply discussing the weather. He did not seem at all bothered by his dire revelation.

"What?" Damon growled, shocked. "You never mentioned that."

"That's her fate. She cheated death once because of your sacrifice. But the shield lifts off tonight. There is nothing to keep her fate at bay anymore." Cade smiled evilly.

Damon gritted his teeth, glaring at the chief. "That was not the deal. You promised me that my soul will merge with hers. You promised the girl to me. She's my fate."

"I did promise the girl. But, it's not my fault. Her parents broke the vow. They must be punished."

"So, punish them. Not my Queen!" Damon growled.

"Oh, they will be punished." Cade said, smirking. "As for your Queen, I can save her… I can change the fate but it will cost you."

"Anything."

"Don't be rash, Damon. Your impulsiveness would be the death of you." Cade chided.

"What do you want Cade?"

"Your Queen."

A hiss escaped Damon's lips, his eyes blazed and before Cade knew it, he was surrounded by vicious fire, drawing closer to burn him to ashes. Cade lazily clicked his fingers, putting out the fire.

"Don't ever do that again." He growled. "You obey me. You do whatever I say."

"Not my queen! She's my heart. I don't play around when it comes to her." Damon meant when he said. She'd been destined for him from a thousand years. Every warlock and witch were born with half of their souls. The other halves of their souls were their partners. It was a supernatural connection. Only some warlocks or witches were lucky enough to find their other halves.

"I think you're misunderstanding me. When I said, I want her, I meant I want her to join our cult. She's half goodness and half evil. She's the descendant of Petrova's. Her blood is precious. If she joins us, our power would know no bounds." Cade explained.

"But for her to join the cult, she has to accept it. You'll do that. You'll lure her to us." He added. "You can keep the girl, and I'll use her blood for our spells. It's a win-win situation."

Something told Damon that there was more to Cade's plan that he wasn't telling now. Cade was powerful enough to hide his subconscious. Damon couldn't exactly tell if he was lying but his sixth sense tickled.

He agreed anyway. For now, he had to save his queen from death. He made the vow that he would convince his queen to join their cult but before that he'd have to win her first from the enemy warlock and then remove the goodness in her. That was the only way she could fully submit to the dark spirit and accept him.

..

..

He was standing in the middle of a deserted road. Cade had told him that this place was where he would meet his queen for the first time. It was a very odd place but he didn't question his chief. Cade had an uncanny ability to predict the future. His predictions were never wrong.

As he walked further, he could hear a girl talking. "I just can't bring myself to tell him. At least not tonight. I'll call you later." She stuffed her phone into her pocket, turning on her heels and unconsciously walking toward where Damon stood.

It wasn't like he hadn't seen her before. Sometimes when he got bored, he would conjure her in mist to talk to her, but right now - seeing her in real life - it felt surreal. He was dead. He was a demon who had long ago given up his humanity for powers, but right now he somehow felt his heart begin to race.

She was dressed in a causal magenta top and ordinary washed out jeans, but there was nothing else ordinary about her. Wisps of her silky hair were falling on her face, touching her skin tenderly. Like a china doll, she looked fragile as if the slightest disturbance might make her crack. She turned her heart-shaped face up to the sky, her doe eyes innocent and framed with the longest lashes he had ever seen. Her long hair was down, her skin sun kissed. Soft. Sexy. Irresistible. She was divinely beautiful… and pure.

He looked at himself. He was in his demon form. Hideous and repulsive. The dark magic has destroyed his human form long time ago. He quickly chanted a spell to create an illusion to make himself look like the handsome human man he used to be.

"My queen," He spoke as he stepped toward her slowly.

Surprised, she looked behind her to make sure he's not talking to someone else. " No – um – I…I'm Elena."

Realizing that she'd seen him, he felt nervous. "Oh, you – you just look...I'm sorry, you just really remind me of someone." He lied. "I'm Damon." He added, as if trying to explain his strange sudden appearance on the road.

She replied, still hesitant, "Not to be rude or anything, Damon, but it's kind of creepy that you're out here in the middle of nowhere."

He retorted. "You're one to talk. You're out here all by yourself."

"It's The Fells. Nothing bad ever happens here." She said with a shrug.

She didn't feel afraid even though every fiber of her being warned her to be cautious. But something felt different. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him. It was as if her heart knew him.

There was an awkward pause. She tried to fill it, "Got into a fight with my boyfriend."

He bit the inside of his cheek at the mention of another man but he fought the revolting feeling of the thought of the diminutive human being close to his destined queen.

"About what? May I ask." He asked, out of curiosity. It felt so surreal to talk to her in real life. He'd talked to her conjured versions so many times. He had told her all his secrets, his fears, his weaknesses. But this was so different. A small part of him wondered how a naïve and innocent person such as herself could talk to a stranger like this… so kindly. So sweetly.

She said, "Life, future, he's got it all mapped out."

"And you don't want it?" Damon asked with feigned curiosity.

"I don't know what I want." She sighed, crossing her arms gently.

He replied, "Well, that's not true. You want what everybody wants."

"What, mysterious stranger who has all the answers?" She joked.

The confusion and innocence on her face seemed to shake something loose within him — something that ached to touch her, to make her smile, to make her laugh, to snatch her from the world, to capture and keep all her innocence and all her insolence. "Hm, well, let's just say I've been around a long time. I've learned a few things."

"So, Damon, tell me. What is it that I want?" She said softly, emphasizing his name.

He moved closer to her. "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, an adventure, and even a little danger."

"So, what do you want?" She asked, tilting her head to a side.

He was quiet for a minute, surprised not only by the question but her tone. No one had ever spoken so kindly and softly to him. He'd been the cause of everyone's hate but this girl… she seemed different. 'Only because she doesn't know you're a demon.' His mind crushed into shards the tiny desires he felt because of the girl.

Before he could reply, they heard a car slowly driving toward where they stood.

"It's my parents." She said as she looked around.

When she turned back to him, he was standing very close to her, almost unnerving her.

"I want you to get everything that you're looking for, but right now I want you to forget that this happened. Right now, I have to go. I have to save you from your fate. But I promise you, we'll meet soon. Goodnight, my queen."

With a quick wave of his hand, a blank look came over her face. Confused, she turned around. Who was she talking to again? She didn't remember anything.

"Elena…" she heard her mother waving at her to come.

He watched her leave with her parents, a thousand stories on her lips. He looked at his watch - it was ten minutes to twelve. He didn't know what fate had in mind for his queen but he knew he would save her. He didn't let her die before; he wouldn't let her die again.

He had Cade's ring to protect him from the spell of the warlocks who never sinned, the protection spell his enemy put on his queen to make sure he couldn't reach her. But, here he was… so so close to her.

As the car drove onto the Wickery bridge, the bridge that connected Mystic Falls with The Fells, it suddenly skidded, sliding out of control.

Shocked, he didn't think another second. He clicked his finger. Within a Nano second, he was in front of the car. He held his hand forward, chanting a protection spell but the car crashed into the guard rail, and the weight of the car broke through the rail. It flew off the bridge, plummeting into the deep, cold river.

Desperate to fight fate, he lurched forward and dove into the river. He swam to the car, already knowing that two of the three were already dead and selfishly he hoped it wouldn't be her. After all, he didn't care about the other two deceptive humans.

Murmuring a spell, he broke open the door and pulled her out. She was injured and appeared to have been knocked out, but to Damon seemed like she was in a deep sleep. Closing his eyes, he focused on the power the dark spirit had granted him with. Without chanting the spell, he was transported back to the bridge with the unconscious girl in his arms.

Her heartbeat was unsteady and very slow. It seemed as if she was on the brink of death. But he was promised her life, and he knew she would survive. Yet, he was still anxious. His hands flickered over her, reaching where her pulse and breathing were supposed to be, and panicked when he didn't find them. What if Cade lied?

"Elena… Elena… wake up!" He shook his head frantically and put a hand on her chest just above her breast. He put his other hand on top and began pumping. "Breathe, please, breathe." It came out as desperate plea.

"I waited so long for you. I won't allow you to die. Please, wake up." He murmured to her limp body.

He breathed into her mouth for what felt like an eternity, before she coughed.

He helped her sit up, but she cried in pain, hissing and wincing, because of the aching deep wounds on her body.

"Don't cry. I'll heal them." He promised as he chanted a spell.

For the first time in his life, he was using his power for something other than evil and destruction. He didn't even realize this at the moment.

Her eyes opened slightly. Tears of anguish trickled down her face. "Are you an angel?" She asked him, deluded that she might have died in an accident. "Why do I still hurt?" Every part of her body ached.

"You'll be fine in a while, my queen. I promise." He said as he held her hand and suddenly her hand stopped aching, the bruises and scratches that she got from the broken glass windows of the car started to heal. She still hurt though. She still felt shaken.

"I… I feel so cold." She was freezing cold, to the point of shaking uncontrollably, though she was hardly conscious.

He drifted closer, wrapping his arms around her. What was happening to him? He was never a softie. But the girl was so vulnerable. She reminded him of himself… back when he was abandoned by his own parents.

"Mom… Dad…" She murmured, trembling, clinging to him.

"Listen, I…"

He could hear the police sirens approaching. It wasn't like he was afraid of humans. He could kill them with the swish of his fingers but he couldn't be seen yet. His illusion form was for only Elena's eyes. He'd used up all his power. He couldn't conjure the optical illusion for everyone.

He uncurled his arms from around her.

"Don't leave me, please." She pleaded. "I'm scared."

"I'm here. You can't see me, but I'm here with you." He vowed.

She didn't understand what he was saying. Was she even conscious? Was this death? She didn't know. All she knew was that she needed him close to her. She felt safe with him.

When she looked up, the man who saved her disappeared in mist.

"Elena!" She heard a familiar voice before darkness prevailed before her eyes.

...

"Well. Well. Well. Look, who it is?" The voice would have startled him if he hadn't heard the footsteps.

"Hello, brother." He said as he turned around, a sour look on his face.

"I'm no brother of someone who worships the dark spirit. You and your cult are…"

"Abominations, cursed ones, cruel blood drinkers, unloved lost souls, yeah, I've heard that about million times before. Come up with something new." Damon replied, bored.

"Why are you here?" Stefan stepped toward him, crossing his arms on his chest.

"None of your damn business."

"You're here for her." Stefan said, sounding as if he knew everything in Damon's mind.

"Is that a question? I never leave what's mine." He answered, shrugging.

"In that case, you might remember she's mine too." Stefan said, merely to get a rise out of him.

Damon clenched his teeth but kept his cool. "It's a pity that you think as you do, brother, your power is a quarter compared to mine."

"But she has my heart…" Stefan growled.

"I sacrificed mine for her, she truly belongs to me… and you know that." Damon angrily frowned.

Stefan huffed. "Whatever helps you sleep at night. Oh wait, demons can't. " He laughed sarcastically. "Well I think the demon is being delusional here. Demons don't get happy ending, brother. Heroes do… like I will and you won't."

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. This is what I like about you, when you're in the illusion that you are giving me a life lesson but in actual you're being a combative jerk. "Damon smirked. "And it's not that I don't admire your confidence, yes I do. You are making a valiant effort, but I simply don't consider you my competition. The more you call yourself impeccable, the more your existence in my view is trivial. To me, Stefan, you are a frail butterfly."

Stefan shook his head, "So, why am I your competitor if you are the lordly Damon."

Damon nodded. "That's the thing that bugs me all the time. If you want to compete with me, at least give me some competition. It's a shame but the reality is I'll burn you to ashes. Actually, no, I'd love to have mercy if you ask politely, you know, like they teach you in your angel skills polishing classes. You're still taking them?"

"Yes I am. Guess the lesson I learned." He stepped forward and whispered, "She will never give you what you want."

Damon cocked his head to a side. "Why would you say that?" he mocked. "I am handsome, taller, stronger, better."

"That's just an illusion. The truth is, you're heartless, soul eating, repulsive monster who sold his family soul's to the dark spirit for powers."

Damon chuckled. "Serves them right. They tied me up and left me in the middle of the forest to die. Of course I took revenge. Huh… funny times."

Stefan growled. "Funny, am I? Wait till you hear my plan to kill you and snatch Elena from you."

Damon grinned shaking his head. He took a step further and slowly touched Stefan's collar, then gripped it tightly. "Stefan, I am not five anymore - I know how to kill you."

Stefan nodded, "Oh, that's your only qualification so far, killing your family,"

He gave him a push, "And I won't mind if another member wants a one way ticket to heaven."

"Guess what Elena would think about that? She'll never love a monster. You'll never make her a monster that you're…" He continued.

"Stefan, I swear…" Damon stepped forward to grab him by the neck and teach him a lesson.

Stefan disappeared in thin air, leaving the seething warlock burn in his rage.

…

It was the day of her parent's funeral. She was weeping in her aunt's arms. People went to her and sympathized with her. Everyone felt pity for the poor orphan girl whose parents died in a car accident and somehow she mysteriously survived. They all told her they would support her but she knew they would all forget about her in a couple of days.

"You're not alone, darling, we're always here for you." The mayor's wife told her as she patted her hair.

Elena nodded out of respect but she couldn't stop crying. She wished she had died in the accident too. She still didn't know who saved her. All she remembered was an angelic voice telling her to breath, telling her to come back to life because he had waited for her. Maybe it was a delusion, an after effect of the near death experience.

"Darling, can you stay here by yourself for a while? I need to drop Mrs. Lockwood to the door?" Jenna asked.

She nodded.

Once Jenna left, she stared at nothingness, lost in her thoughts. She had a strange feeling that someone was watching her, someone was guarding her. She felt as if someone touched her, light as mist. It reminded her of the strange fragrance she felt the night she almost drowned. But again, it could all be her imagination.

…

" _You're not alone, my queen." She couldn't see him but he was by her side, every day of every second, guarding her, taking care of her._

 _He could see of her face was pinkish, glistening wet where silent tears covered her cheeks. Sorrow never looked more beautiful._

 _He slowly untucked her hair from behind her ear, releasing them from their captivity. Annoyed, she tucked the strand back behind her ear._

 _He untucked her hair again, a smile covering his lips. "We'll be together soon. You and I will rule the world. I'll be the king and you… you'll be my queen. Only mine."_

…

 **So, here is the official first chapter of the TDO. I hope you like it. The first three chapters would be slow and introducing so bear with me. This is going to be a little dark in future chapter so you've been warned.**

 **Thank you to my amazing beta Rachel (JessicaRae) for proof reading and adding her input. Your work is flawless.**

 **Please comment so I know you're enjoying the story.**

 **So continue?**


	3. The Devil's Rose

**Chapter 3: 'The Devil's Rose'**

* * *

 _She is standing on a dirt road near the outskirts of The Fells, dressed in a magenta shirt and her washed out jeans. She looks up to the star filled sky, smiling. The night sky was the most beautiful shade of blue-black she had ever seen. The stars looked like pearls and diamonds, spilled from an infinitely long necklace, bright and unsullied by the light of the setting moon._

 _Then suddenly she hears the sound of distant footsteps making their way to her. She turns around, fear constricting her heart. She sees a shadowy form approaching from the thick swirling darkness at the far end of the road. It was a tall figure in a long cloak, with the hood drawn over the head._

" _My Queen." She hears him whisper with so much yearning in his voice._

 _She takes a couple of steps back._

" _Don't be afraid… I don't mean to hurt you." He cautions, his voice as sweet as honey._

" _Please…" She still seems frightened._

 _He doesn't answer. He kneels down in front of her, his head down, so she still can's see his face. Slowly, his hands raise. It seemed as if he is offering her something. She looks carefully down at his hands. He is offering a beautiful white rose to her._

 _She gazes at it in combined awe and surprise._

" _I have nothing to offer you that isn't already yours. My heart, body, mind and soul… it's always been yours only. But I wanted to gift you something… something as precious, beautiful and pure as you are. I couldn't find anything that I deemed worthy. Then I came across this… this white rose… it reminded me of you. Alluring, mature, intense, pure and hauntingly beautiful." He spoke in his calming, velvety voice._

 _Slowly, she reaches out and takes the rose from his hand._

" _Who are you?" She asks him, still hesitant. Still fearful._

" _In time…Queen."_

" _Can you I see you?" she asks, reaching a hand toward him._

 _He takes a few quick steps back, and shakes his hooded head - no._

" _Wait…"_

..

..

"Wake up."

Elena felt a feather-like touch on her cheek. Her sleepy eyes fluttered open, confused. As usual, there wasn't anyone else in her room . Yet she still could feel another being present, in another dimension. She turned on her bed, thinking about her dream. It wasn't the first time that the strange figure had come to her. She had the same dream plaguing her every single night since the eve of her parent's funeral.

After her parent's death, Elena had thought she too would die - of the heartbreak. There were days when she felt as if she couldn't breathe. But then out of nowhere, she would sense some strange strength enter her very bones. She heard peculiar whispers, comforting her and reminding her that she was protected and that she would move on and live.

Every time she entered her room, she would feel a sense of peace that she never felt anywhere else. Her room was her only safe haven. She would retreat to it after the cares of the day had left her worn and discouraged. And then suddenly she would start dreaming about the cloaked man offering her a rose.

A tendril of her hair fell forward against her cheek. She impatiently brushed it back, tucking it behind her ear. Her mind whirled with random thoughts. She was thinking about the busy day she was supposed to have. The new doctor would arrive at the hospital today and she was supposed to reach work early. Her aunt and her uncle weren't too rich to afford her college tuition, so she had started working as a nurse at the hospital where once upon a time, her father used to work.

Thinking of her father brought tears in her eyes. Oh, how she missed him and her mother. She closed her eyes and imagined them standing there beside her, smiling and happy. A light breeze played with the thin covering over the open window and touched her face. It almost felt like someone was cupping her face, touching her so softly that she could hardly feel anything at all.

She shook her head and returned to her world, absently shrugged off the feeling, not giving much time to such irrational thoughts.

A lock of her hair fell over her eyes again.

..

..

Lying back on her bed, he watched her get ready for the day. Of course, she couldn't see him. His magic cloaked him making Damon invisible to an earth dweller. She didn't know it but he was always there with her. He would listen to her rant and he would smile at her childish human problems. He would comfort her at nights when she thought she was all alone, crying into her pillow. She didn't know any of this, but he wiped all of her tears. He always gave her peace. Just like she gave him.

Ever since he had given up on his humanity, Damon had been damned to misery and restlessness. But for the first time in four hundred years, he fell asleep next to her in her bed. He didn't know how it happened. All he remembered was that he was running his fingers through her soft long locks, listening to her heartbeat and keeping her calm with his presence. She had no idea that he was beside her, but her heart did. It fluttered like a caged bird when he was around because, like him, she was more peaceful when he was close.

"Where is my book?" She looked around in haste.

"In your shelf." He replied, although he knew that she couldn't hear him.

"Where is the damn book? Oh God, Dr. Smith is going to be so mad at me for being this late." She looked so worried that he shook his head.

Rolling his eyes at her over dramatic antics, he offered: "Then don't be such a slob. Seriously, look at your room." As his eyes ran over her messy room.

"No. No. No. I really need that book." She looked around desperately, plowing through the pile of unwashed clothing heaped on the floor.

He huffed in annoyance and clicked his fingers. In a second, the book transported from the shelf into her bag, without her noticing.

He stood and slowly walked behind her. He leaned close and whispered, "Look in your bag again."

As if compelled by an unknown power, her hands drew to her bag. She sighed with relief as she spotted her book. "Oh, Thank God."

"No, honey, thank the devil." He replied smiling crookedly, pleased with his wit.

"Elena!" They heard Jenna shout from downstairs.

"Coming!" Elena shouted, pushing into her bag notes and other random things she probably did not need. She rushed to stand in front of the mirror to brush her hair.

"Come home soon." He whispered longingly. "I'll be waiting."

"Elena, breakfast is ready." Jenna shouted again.

"Okay!" She yelled again, placing the brush back on the dresser, grabbing her bag, and running haphazardly out of the room.

..

..

He jumped out of her window, stopping only once when he saw her enjoying breakfast with her family. He smiled as he watched her smiling.

"Catching feelings, are we?" A snide voice snapped him out of his romantic daze.

"Stefan!" He didn't pay much attention to his brother, or even bother looking at the person that had spoken. His eyes were still fixed on Elena.

"I'm really surprised you haven't made a move on her." Stefan chuckled, sauntering over to stand beside his brother.

"Neither did you." Damon pointed out, still not taking his gaze from his queen.

Stefan shrugged, smirking, refusing to comment.

"Weren't you on mission or something to snatch her away from me?" Damon asked, turning to face his brother. "Or are you scared now? After all, she is guarded by the devil himself. I dare you to touch her." He added darkly, crossing his hands on his chest.

Stefan chuckled, shaking his head. "Over-confidence is going to be the death of you."

"You know what? I don't have time to waste on you. Stop stalking me and find a hobby or something." Damon growled, turning around to watch Elena again.

"I would rather watch you get shot down and use my sins carefully." Stefan replied softly, a sinister tone to his threat. Stefan's words made Damon stiffen and his hands were clenched so tight into fists that the knuckles were white.

Wait. Didn't Stefan's cult strictly forbid sins?

"That's right, Damon." Stefan grimaced, enjoying the look of concern on his evil brother's face. "I've been granted special privileges. I'm not as weak as you think." He added. "My clan knows its going to be a tough mission. I have to save the girl's soul from eternal damnation. I can now play just as dirty as you do…"

"Is it really about the girl's soul or your personal motive to torture me? I'm sure your clan doesn't know about our history, do they?" Damon countered, laying his only remaining card on the table.

"Think whatever you want, Damon" Stefan threw his hands in the air, "but the truth is, she has been promised to me. She is my fate, my soulmate. You can try whatever your evil mind wants to try, but ultimately, you'll fail."

"And why is that, may I ask?" Damon's eyes were narrowed into slits, as if they were serpent's eyes.

"Because, you're the devil, the monster, the beast. And who could ever learn to love a beast?"

..

..

Every day after she left for work, he would go back to his home - the aforementioned abandoned town of Mystic Falls. He had been working on a complicated spell that could give him his former human form back. So far, the warlock of goodness had not yet made an appearance to his Elena but he knew there was something big on his brother's mind since he had not come for Elena yet.

Damon knew his brother well enough to know that he was carefully scheming and would soon take action. Stephan wasn't going to give up but Damon would accept defeat either. Elena was only his. He wasn't going to risk losing her. He was tired of living in shadows. Tired of hiding, tired of just looking at her from a distance and not touching her, not feeling her soft skin. He was tired of resisting to kiss her senseless. He was tired of not claiming her as his alone.

He chanted a spell in an ancient language, asking the dark spirit to help him reach his soul mate. He was so close, yet so far. As the spell completed, he opened his eyes. With a wave of his hand, a mirror appeared before him.

He flinched as he saw the reflection of the monster staring back at him. His burnt and scarred face looked like a mask of horrors that could turn knots inside one's stomach. The veins under his eyes throbbed like leeches beneath his skin. His eyes were icy blue and blood shot. His skin was a twisted sea of scar contractures dotted by wounds and burns.

At once he hid his own face, repulsed by his own image.

He could never go to meet his queen like this. A mere look of his face would terrify her. She would never love him like this. Never. It was just as Stefan had said when he so smugly threw this insult at him. "And who could ever learn to love a beast?" That very thought brought out a fearful rage inside of him. He clenched his fists, glaring at the mirror. Suddenly, under the pressure of his intense fury, the mirror shattered into tiny pieces in front of him.

Damon swore that he would break into pieces anything that would keep him away from his queen. He couldn't be away from his queen anymore. He needed her. But his own self was becoming the biggest hurdle standing between him and her. He could try the illusion spell but it would only last for a few minutes. He needed another solution. He needed a way to get back his human face.

He shouted in anger and frustration, desperate for an answer.

"What's all the ruckus about?" He heard a cold voice speak from behind him.

"Get out, Klaus. I know you enjoy getting a rise out of me but if you mess with me right now, I'll pull your heart out and stuff it down your throat." Damon clenched his fists as he spoke.

"Easy there, buddy." His friend spoke, moving closer - his voice silky and smooth. "What are you working on?"

"None - of - your - fucking - business." Damon replied in a low, threatening tone, emphasizing each word.

"Maybe I could be help." Klaus countered, smirking.

Damon snickered at the very idea. Klaus was a soul eater. He earned powers by spreading hopelessness and misery. For him to offer help was downright comical.

"Get out of here, leech." Damon barked, waving a hand.

"Ooh, now, I know. It's about the queen, isn't it?" Klaus smiled. Of course, he knew. Everyone knew Elena was Damon's and only his. She was the queen of the king of evil and she was respected as such.

"I can smell your misery, Damon." Klaus said in a voice so low it was barely audible. "The devil wants a woman he can't have. Of course, why would anyone love us? You'll give her nightmares for life with one glimpse of your real face." He whispered, circling Damon dramatically. "All your power is useless to gain what you so desire." He added.

A strong wave of misery passed through Damon at these words, almost bringing him to his knees.

"Although there is a way." Klaus added.

Damon's eyes snapped open, gazing warily at the soul-eater, alert now.

"You've been so lost in love of that human girl that you've forgotten about the dark spirit and his offerings. You have forgotten all about the Night Of All Wishes. On that Night, present to the Dark Spirit a special sacrifice and he'll give you anything your heart desires." Klaus reminded him.

He chewed thoughtfully on his lip. Of course, he knew about that Night but he didn't have anything left to offer as a sacrifice. The Dark Spirit only accepted the sacrifice of something or someone dearest to you. The only person that meant the world to him was his Queen, his Elena and never could he ever give her up.

..

..

"So, your dad was my father's friend?" She asked him in respectful awe.

Stefan nodded, lying and smiling softly. This was his first sin. He was lying to her to make her believe he was a well-wisher of hers.

"Yes, your father was my father's best friend in college. They were very close. I knew your dad too. He was such an inspiring man. He's the reason I took medicine as my major." Stefan had come to her hospital as the new intern.

She was the nurse who was supposed to assist him. She'd been rather closed off at first, very reserved, but soon she had warmed up to him - especially when he told her that he knew her parents. He then offered to take her out for coffee and she had accepted.

"He also used to talk a lot about you. He loved you so much. You were his world. He used to tell us how beautiful you were. And… he wasn't wrong." His eyes were sincere and intense as Stefan stared into her eyes.

She looked a little taken aback at first, and she gazed curiously at him, considering, but then she smiled. "Of course, I was my dad's princess."

Her eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she dropped her head and wouldn't look at - Stefan. "I still can't believe they left us. I miss them both so much."

The lying Stefan enveloped her hand between his, "It's a great loss. I'm sorry for you, Elena. But you have to move on. I know Grayson and Miranda would have wanted that."

"It's not as easy as it seems." She whispered as she wiped away a lone tear.

After a brief pause, Stefan asked how her studies were going and what her plans were for the future. She told him that she wanted to be a doctor but since she didn't have enough money, she was working part time at the hospital and studying for college with the rest of her time.

"My mom and dad wanted to see as me become a cardiologist. I want to fulfil their dream." She seemed lost in a thought as she answered, her voice fading away in her distraction.

"Yes, my dear" Stefan spoke softly, his eyes becoming hard and angry for a moment. "Work hard but don't forget to have some adventure in your life, Elena. Go out! Have fun with your friends. Enjoy life!"

"I don't know why, doctor, but that makes me uncomfortable. My room is the only place I feel at peace." Elena replied.

'Of course. The devil has been stroking her face to sleep. Of course, she feels peace in his arms' Stefan thought bitterly to himself.

"Elena, I know for sure that Doctor Gilbert would never approve of you hiding from the world in your room like a hermit. He would want you to get out of your room and get back to your life. Think about it. The worst is over. Start living your life again. Who knows? Maybe you'll meet someone and you'll experience love. There is so much more to life that you haven't experienced yet."

"That does sound good." She had a soft smile playing on her lips. She liked his concern. She liked that he cared.

"Elena! Dr. Belle needs you in E.R." A sudden call over the intercom made both doctor and nurse jump, startled.

"Thank you for everything you said, doctor. It really helps a lot." Elena said softly, turning toward the door.

"Stefan!" He moved quickly and grabbed her hand. He held it firmly. "Please call me Stefan."

"Stefan." She said his name slowly. He liked the way she said his name. Slowly, her hand slid out of his and he watched her walk away. He nodded confidently to himself, very pleased with his deception.

..

..

Damon knew that she met Stefan today. So, he thought grimly to himself. His goody-two-shoes brother finally played his first card. Damon paced the floor of Elena's room. He was still lagging. Not out of choice, of course. He was struggling to find a solution to attain his human face. It was still a week till the night of wishes.

He was lost in his thoughts when his queen entered the room. As usual she threw her bag randomly into a corner; she hurried to her dresser and changed into comfortable PJ's. Jumping into her bed, she stretched out and sighed. "I'm so tired." She said quietly, to no one in particular.

He lay back next to her, turning to face his Queen.

"My head aches." She mumbled closing her eyes, still speaking aloud.

He reached his hand to her face, lightly grazing her skin with his fingertips, murmuring an ancient spell. She sighed as if she could feel him.

"Better?" He asked, smiling, also speaking aloud, even though she could not hear him.

She seemed relaxed now, almost sleepy.

He inched closer, feeling a sense of peace as if he'd been in a burning desert and he just discovered a lake. She was his oasis.

She turned on bed, her long hair fell on his face like a feather. He smiled into it, relishing the softness. And just when he was about doze off, she woke up with a jolt, tears trickling down her eyes. He knew what must have happened. She must have dreamed about her parents again.

"Hey, calm down." He said forgetting again that she couldn't hear him.

She covered her face with her hands, trying her best to stifle her sobs.

Elena jumped out of the bed, hurrying to her closet, leaving the blanket tossed aside in the floor. She then took out a photo album. Slowly she walked back to her bed. Damon moved to put the blanket back on the bed before she tripped over it, as she was not watching where she was going. Her gaze was focused on the book she held in her hands. She lay against the headboard, looking at all the photos, touching them with trembling hands.

Tears flowed down her face and fell onto the pictures. She cried in earnest, and his dead heart broke all the more for seeing her pain.

"Queen… Elena… baby…" He tried to calm her down but then sighed in frustration when he realized that he was helpless. He rose up from the bed, walking around the room restlessly. An idea came to his mind, he kneeled on his knees, "The dark spirit, I call for your help, take her pain away and torture me instead."

He continued his chanting until he felt a strange burning ache in his heart as if someone was drowning him in acid. He had never felt grief before. He hissed and winced but, like the demon he was, didn't complain. After all, he had asked for her pain to come upon himself.

He withered in pain for a long, agonizing hour until slowly the pain started to fade. He struggled to stand on wobbly feet, walking back to claim his place next to her.

She was calm now, a look of peace on her face. A small smile hovered where tears had been.

"You're okay." He whispered to her, gently.

"I'm okay." She said quietly to herself, looking down at her pictures.

"You're not alone."

"I'm not alone." She added, impressed by his words in her heart.

"You'll live and move on."

"I'll live. I'll move on." She didn't know why but she was relaxed now. She felt a sense of security. She felt as if no one could ever harm her.

He laid his head in her lap, looking at her smiling face. "You look like an angel when you smile." He complemented her, forgetting again that she couldn't hear him. "Which is surprising because you're my heart… the devil's heart. How can you be so pure if you're made out of darkness?"

The door of her room opened suddenly and her aunt walked in with her sleepy four-year-old daughter, Alice. Damon was so lost in his thoughts about Elena that he never noticed.

"Ele… Ele… who is that on your lap?" The little girl screamed, startling everyone in the room, both human and spirit alike.

Annoyed, Damon stood. Young children could see the impure creatures; he knew that fact very well so he had always been careful enough to never leave Elena's room. Very rarely Alice came in the room and this was one of rare those times. "Why now?" He growled.

"What is it, Alice?" Elena seemed surprised. What on earth was the terrified little girl talking about?

"Ignore her." Jenna rolled her eyes. "I heard you crying, so I wanted to ask if you were okay."

"I'm fine." Elena smiled warmly at her concerned aunt.

"Mum, there was a monster in her lap." The little girl was still pale as a ghost, her fearful eyes fixed on the demonic creature in front of her.

"Shh!" He growled again, advancing toward her, placing his finger against his lips.

"Mum, he's coming toward us. Ele… Ele… run. Mum!" She cried hysterically, pointing into thin air.

"Alice, stop! Alice, child, what's the matter with you?" Jenna and Elena's voices mixed in confusion as they rushed to comfort the crying child.

Damon slowly backed away a few steps, and jumped out of her window, cursing himself for being so careless. Tonight he would have to stay away from his queen, his love, his peace.

..

..

He stared at himself in the mirror again, repulsed by the damned creature staring back at him. When he joined the cult, darkness snatched his humanity and turned him into the monster he was. In return he got power beyond recognition. But what wouldn't he do to get his human self back?

He was yearning for the peace his queen gave him. He longed for her. But he couldn't have her - because he couldn't go meet her in his real form. He wasn't satisfied with meeting her in just her dreams anymore. Every night he would influence a dream in her mind where he would meet her and offer her his love in from of a rose.

But now he was sick of his helplessness, especially now that Stefan had played his first move.

He restlessly moved around the small room, trying to think of a way. Little Alice's reaction showed him a small glimpse of what Elena's reaction could potentially be. He wouldn't be able to stand that kind of rejection. He wanted to see nothing but love for him in her eyes.

From his library he picked out a large, worn collection of spells, studying it for any way to change his form - even though he'd read them a thousand times before.

"Useless." He hissed as he glared at the book before him, its well-read pages void of any answer to his problem. Under his intense fury, the book erupted into flames and crumbled into ashes.

He fell to his knees, pleading - begging - the dark spirit to help him for he didn't have anything to sacrifice except for his queen and there was no way he would give her up. He hated how pathetic he sounded. Out of the entire world he was begging for one girl - the girl who was destined to be his fate, the girl who belonged only to him.

Then something clicked in his tormented mind.

These days, the only thing he looked forward to was sleeping in peace with his queen at nights. In return for his human form, Damon decided that he would damn himself to restlessness and peace deprivation until the dark spirit granted him wish. He would stay away from his Queen for an entire month; he wouldn't even look at her until he was given what he wanted.

That would be his terrible sacrifice.

..

..

Finally, it was the day he had waited so long for. Today - he would finally meet her again. After many sufferings, starvation and begging he was finally granted his human form.

He touched his face, the handsome human face - the face that had been his before he damned himself to the world of darkness. He walked confidently between the swarm of humans to the hospital that Elana worked for.

He walked inside as if he had been there many times before - as indeed he had been, to watch his queen as she worked. He clenched his fist as he saw Stefan talking to her. His conniving brother must think he had given up on her since he'd stayed away from her for a month. Time to crush his hopes and steal the girl away.

"I'll see later." She said as she walked away, waving to Stefan and giving him one of her rare smiles. Damon growled inside.

He quickly uncurled his hand, chanting a spell. Suddenly a terrible looking gash appeared on his palm and it started to bleed profusely.

"Miss!" He called out to her, hesitating at the sound of his own human voice.

She turned around. "Yes, may I help you sir?"

"I accidently hurt my hand, can you please help me?" He asked, a soft triumphant smile playing on his lips as he stared deeply into her soul.

"How go your plans now, Stefan?" he thought smugly, as he noticed that his brother had seen him from down the hall and appeared confused at Damon's long forgotten human form. Damon smirked and looked back down at Elena, adoration written on his face as she carefully looked at his hand. "Good luck Stefan," He chuckled. "Damon is back in town."

* * *

 **Thank you Rachael for your superb beta skills, it's like you can read my mind, you're more tuned in to the story than I'm. Thank you, sister for your amazing work!**

Kylah asked a question that wouldn't it be out of character for Stefan to 'kill' Damon if he doesn't sins?

Damon is actually the face of evil. He's supposed to be devil. Stefan is a good warlock. In his mind, he sees himself as a hero by killing the devil and saving his soul mate from the clutches of evil. To his cult, it's an act of bravery and goodness.

Mia asked if Damon's demon face is like a vampire face?

Actually, it's worse than that. He's supposed to look like the scariest monster from your worst nightmare.

Thank you all for your positive response so far. I really look forward to what you think of this chapter. Your response would mean the world to both me and Rachael (We worked really hard on this.) We'd be waiting for your comments.

Questions are welcomed.

I hope the story is interesting enough. Review?

Be safe and have a nice day.


	4. The Devil's Jealousy

**Chapter 4: 'The Devil's Jealousy'**

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you everyone for taking out time to review. It means the world to me. Please do support me in future chapters with your kind words too. It really helps keeping my muse._

 _A/N 2: I accidentally uploaded un-beta version before. Here's the real chapter. Sorry for the multiple update emails._

* * *

It was such a strange, invigorating feeling, to be standing in front of his queen and actually talking to her. She was standing so very close to him. When she touched Damon's bruised hand, he felt lightening rush though his body. His eyes closed under her touch, as contentment and peace coursed through his being.

"You'll have to follow me to the ward so I can tend you." Elena spoke softly in her professional tone.

He gestured for her to show him the way, his eyes fixed with glassy earnestness to hers. Under this intense scrutiny, she felt her heart race. Did she know him? He felt strangely familiar. A storm was brewing inside her heart - there swelled a strange desperate yearning. She reluctantly tore her gaze away from his, surprised at the rush of emotions she felt for the complete stranger.

"Please, follow me." She motioned for him to follow her as she began to walk.

She skillfully guided him through a warren of corridors to her small nurse's office. It was a swirl of noises. Call lights chimed incessantly, nurses called for assistance, and pagers requested that varying doctors make their way to different stations. Above it all, his keen ears focused on one amazing sound. He could hear her heart beating, and it was beating quickly. Pleased, he realized that her heart recognized him even though she didn't. He knew that she felt the supernatural pull just like he did.

She turned away from him when they reached her office, her eyes refusing to meet his again. She asked him to sit down on a stool as she walked away to get a first aid kit.

Once she had placed all of her tools on a nearby table, she finally faced him. Reaching for his hand, she held it carefully, examining his wound. "Oh God, it looks like the devil ripped it open." She murmured, sympathetically.

He scoffed, and rolled his eyes. "Kind of."

For the first time, she looked up into his face, a brow raised. "What?"

He didn't reply. He seemed to be too lost in her eyes.

A light blush flamed her cheeks. She looked down, picked up the cotton ball and dipped it in antiseptic. Slowly, she started cleaning the wound. He winced and inhaled sharply, tensing as she tended the deep gash. He didn't realize that his artificial human form was capable of such intense feelings. He may have a human form but he was still a demon, after all. Curse the dark Night for making this as painful as possible, he growled to himself. One look at his queen working on his hand so busily made him forget his anger in a second.

"I had a fight." He finally spoke.

She jumped at the sudden sound, and looked up, eyes narrowing. "Fight? Why?"

"It's what I do." He answered noncommittally, never looking away from her eyes. He looked at her so intensely focused, watching her with a piercing interest. The intensity of his gaze unnerved her. Her sixth sense ticked as if warning her of unforeseen danger. She shook it off.

"I'm sorry?" She questioned. Clearly she didn't understand what he meant.

"Ever heard of a street fighting circuit?" He asked, relishing the feeling of getting to talk to his Queen at long last.

"Sort of." She replied quickly, her face betraying her curiosity for more details. Only a day ago, Sheriff Liz had been talking about the illegal street fighting circuit just outside the Fells. To on lookers, it harmlessly seemed like a bar outside the town. But in reality, the place was actually where all the illegal activities happened.

"I'm one of the fighters." He informed her, quite unashamed of his involvement.

"I don't understand." She looked so confused that he held up his other hand.

"Let me explain. There is a free style fight. Every night, we pick challenges. People bid on us, the winner gets the winning amount, and the loser goes with home with broken bones." He completed his explanation with a hint of pride in his voice. He cocked his head to one side, smiling, and enjoying the surprised look on her beautiful face.

"I assume you lost?" Elena was frowning deeply. She seemed disturbed by the way he earned his living.

He shrugged, "Just not my lucky day, I guess."

"Well, this is not good. You're being cruel to your body. One of these days, you'll get seriously injured. You could even become disabled or even lose your life." She seemed appalled by his carelessness.

She bandaged his hand, all the while still telling him how his recklessness could bring harm and doom and how she didn't approve of it in the least. She lectured him about life and the blessing of a healthy body.

He stared at her, uncomprehending, drinking in her beauty like untouched spring water from the high mountains. Her eyes were demurely downcast, hidden under long lashes. Her face was soft and sweet. Her eyes beamed light and her soul breathed purity. Was she truly fated to be his? How could someone so pure be his? She had to be a reward for all the terrible sufferings he had endured in his tormented fallen state.

"Done." She spoke suddenly, as she finished taping the bandage. "Be careful from now on. Life is a precious gift from God so please don't waste it frivolously." She spoke with a peculiar concern flooding in her eyes.

He felt something warm and fuzzy inside of him. It actually felt good to be taken care of. He enjoyed that feeling. He wanted her to take care of him all the time.

She turned away to put her aid box back where it belonged, still telling him the safety precautions. When she turned back toward him, he was standing close to her - much too close for comfort. His eyes held a strange glint that she couldn't understand and she felt unusually shy and unnerved by him but she just couldn't look away. He reached for her hand, holding it gently - a trait that was unusual for the devil - but then she didn't know that. Her eyes widened at his daring move but she didn't stop him. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. A faint trace of color washed her cheeks.

"Thank you, Miss." He breathed quietly.

"It's my job." She replied just as quietly, slightly out breath. She pulled her hand out of his grasp, not too harshly. "But do think about what I said." She reminded him, a formal smile playing on her lips. "Please fill out your form at the front desk before leaving." She added, her tone returning to its professional normalcy.

"I will."

She gestured for him to leave. Reluctantly, he walked past her out of the room, turning to look at her just one last time before he left.

..

..

The Dark Spirit had given to Damon the form of a human to win his soul mate but Damon was restricted to only take the shape of the sinner, a person that reflects the evils of their true world. So he chose to become a street fighter. To Damon it seemed pretty tame, but he knew Elena didn't approve of it either.

He looked down at his bandaged hand, a smile covering his lips. He could still feel her touch on his hand.

"I just got back from the hospital. I made sure the child won't speak about you." Klaus's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"What did you do?" Damon turned around curious; surprised that concern was his first fleeting thought. This human nature must be pretty strong, he thought quickly.

"I compelled her to silence." Klaus shrugged. "She'll see you but she won't be able to say a word." He added mysteriously.

Damon nodded carelessly, not giving it much thought as the demon form overrode the natural human care. The little girl was the least of his problems. He picked up a small bag from the floor and threw it toward the soul eater. "Here's the soul of the human man I hunted a month ago. Not fresh, but I hope this will do."

"Mmm…" Klaus took a deep breath, inhaling the scent as he tore at the bag like a hungry werewolf, his eyes gleaming in a cruel glow. "Serial killer."

Damon ignored the soul eater as he entered a dark room to his left. He stood in front of the mirror on the wall. He'd long ago forgotten his human face. It still felt surreal to him to again see his human reflection.

He closed his eyes and instantly his clothing changed. He became the epitome of the classic sexy bad boy, dressed up in a black leather jacket over his black shirt paired up with dark jeans and motorcycle boots.

"So what did you go as?" Klaus asked curiously when he came back out of the room.

"A patient." Damon replied, pushing back the smile that appeared of its own accord every time he thought of that first meeting. "A poor wounded patient."

"Did your brother see you?"

"He was fuming." Damon chuckled. "He really thinks he has a chance against me."

"That blithering idiot." Klaus commented snidely.

"I know, right." Damon replied, his own tone caustic as well. "The heavens and darkness knows she only belongs to me. She's my fate. But he actually thinks she is his," He added, a little anger creeping into the end of his comment.

"Well, not to ruin your righteous moment, my dear Damon, but she really is his." A harsh and familiar voice cut through the moment, making both men jump. The voice came from behind them, from the entrance to the room.

Damon turned around, eyes blazing at the sight of his estranged brother. "What the hell are you doing here Stefan?"

"What did you do to the little girl, Damon?" Stefan replied, his voice threatening, avoiding the question.

"Nothing too damaging. It was just a little compulsion spell." Klaus replied proudly, speaking for Damon.

"How can you harm a child's soul, Devil?" Stefan snarled, ignoring Klaus and directing his tirade toward his brother, his eyes glittering with ill-concealed rage.

"Is that a rhetorical question or are you asking for the procedure?" Damon replied casually not paying his brother any mind.

"Dark magic, Damon! You used dark magic on a child. Do you have any idea of the sin you have committed? You cruel filth!" He hissed. Stefan wanted to go right in there and knock some sense into Damon but he couldn't enter his brother's house because it was surrounded by a dark aura. He'd be powerless if he got too close. Then he would be at his evil brother's mercy and he couldn't risk that. "I swear on everything that is pure and good that I will destroy you. I'll snatch everything that means something to you and I'll burn you to ashes…"

"Get out, drama queen!" Damon didn't even raise a brow. He slowly walked toward the door, arms crossed, smirking.

"You'll regret this, Damon." Stefan growled. "Do whatever you want but I'll not let you corrupt Elena's soul. You can guard her all the time. You can even try to attract her but in the end, I'll steal her away, I'll…"

Damon didn't let him finish the tirade. He calmly snapped his fingers and the door slammed closed in Stefan's face, drowning out anything else he might have said. "Angels and their speeches." He snorted, turning away to head back to the dark room to resume his work.

..

..

She was working on her assignment. He was sitting next to her, but cloaked by his magic. Slowly, he reached out his hand to touch her cheek. "You looked so beautiful today, My Queen." He spoke aloud to her, not getting bothered by the fact that she still couldn't hear him.

"The way you touched me… I never felt something like that. You have no idea what you make me feel? How can you do that to me? How could you make me lose my mind by the slightest touch?" He asked patiently, untucking a strand of her hair from behind her ear.

The lock of hair fell before her eyes. She groaned, putting it back behind her ear. Eyes on her notebook, she extended her hand to a book which was away from her reach. Quickly he pushed it closer.

She opened the book and scribbled some text on it.

"You misspelled surgery." He told her, reading over her shoulder. When she didn't correct it, he rolled his eyes and flicked his hand, correcting her mistakes with his magic. "I'm not going to help you in your exams so you had better start concentrating." He chided, looking over at her face. They were so close he could feel her breathing.

His fingers wandered over to play with her hair again. He loved the soft feel of her long locks. When nights came, he'd wait for her to finish her work so he could bury his face in her hair and sleep with her.

He pulled her a strand of her hair out again which was captive behind her ear. It fell on her temple, tickling her nose.

"God, stop disturbing me! I'm trying to study." She hissed at no one in particular.

"Ooh, feisty." He smirked, amused by her anger. He touched her cheek to calm her down. She let out a sigh of frustration and instantly felt better.

A knock on the door disturbed their special moment, existing half in reality and half in cloaked invisibility.

"Yes!" Elena said loudly, without looking up from her notebook.

Jenna and her husband Alaric entered the room with their daughter Alice. Alice's face was void of all emotions; she saw Damon but she didn't react. She could see him in his human form so she wasn't scared of him, but even if she wanted to say something about him, she couldn't.

"Elena, dear, we're going out for Alice's checkup. She's been acting very strange lately. Are you okay to stay home by yourself?" Jenna asked in her sweet mothering tone.

"Yeah sure," Elena replied, nodding.

While Jenna instructed her to lock all doors, Alice kept looking at Damon. She seemed surprised by the fact that none of the adults in the room were acknowledging the stranger sitting on Elena's bed. When she opened her mouth to speak about him, no voice seemed to come out.

Alaric looked at the direction his daughter was looking, very confused. "What is it, Alice. What are you looking at?"

Elena looked at the empty place beside her. "There is no one here, baby."

Alice looked scared at this revelation and wrapped her arms tightly around her mother.

"Let's go." Alaric sighed, when Alice still said nothing.

"Don't forget to lock the back door and shut all the windows." Jenna yelled back up the stairs before leaving the house.

"Okay!" Elena called after them, still busy with her work.

Once they left, Elena started working on her assignment while the unseen Damon sat next to her, waiting for her to finish so they could sleep. She kept struggling with the rebellious lock of her hair, sighing and hissing in frustration. She took out hair band from her cabinet and tied her hair. He didn't know why but he felt irrational jealousy of the little thing that touched his Queen.

Her eyes were getting heavy and quite drowsy and she felt so sleepy, but she kept scribbling down her notes.

"You should lock the back door before falling asleep." He reminded her quietly.

"I should lock the door." She said aloud to herself, yawning as she finally closed her book and laid her head down on her desk. "Just five minutes' rest." She told herself.

He shook his head, knowing she'd fall asleep. "Lazy slob."

Damon clicked his fingers, locking all the doors with his magic. He turned to her, picking her up gently in his arms and laying her on her bed. He tugged the comforter on top of her, before jumping onto the other side of the bed.

He scooted closer, pulling her to him and running his fingers through her soft hair. "Do you realize what you do to me? You reign over my heart. You hold the cords to my fate. Every part of my being belongs to you, and you don't even know yet?" He chuckled at the last statement.

He brought his bandaged hand up to his face - the hand she touched. The wound she tended to.

"I'll come to meet you again tomorrow." He whispered to her sleeping form. "I'll woo you. I'll win your heart and then you will mine forever."

His adoration for her was bordering on worship. His obsession with her was becoming dangerous and boundless. He didn't know how much longer he could fight his impulse to take her away forever. But he had to win her love. He had to make her love him to keep her. And he knew it would take time. He dipped his head in the crook of her neck, burying his nose in her ear. He felt peace again, the peace he'd long forgotten when he entered the world of evil.

"Goodnight, My Queen."

..

..

It was a tough day at the hospital. Today was the day that the hospital hosted a blood drive. Many nurses were busy at the event so they were short on regular hospital staff and Elena had to do a lot of charting all by herself. She sat at the nurse desk, scribbling down details of cases.

A lock of her hair fell in her eyes. She huffed in a frustrating tone, pushing it back behind her ear. "I swear I'm shaving off my hair if it doesn't stop soon."

"What?" A fellow nurse asked, confused by the sudden outburst.

"My hair keeps falling down onto my forehead and into my eyes! Even when I wash it and brush it straight back, as it is drying it still ends up on my forehead. It's become quite a nuisance." Elena grumbled in an irritated tone.

"Just pin it." Her friend suggested helpfully.

"I was going to but I can't find my stash." Elena moaned. Damon rolled his eyes. Just like she couldn't find anything else in that messy room. He would have to put them on the dresser for her when they returned to her room for the evening.

"Elena," Doctor Stefan called professionally, gesturing her to come to his office. He then disappeared inside his office, which was right across from hers.

 _"Don't go."_ She heard a strange urgent whisper behind her.

She immediately turned around, surprised. "Did you say something?" She said to her friend, confusion furrowing her brow.

"No." Her friend shook her head, distracted with her charting.

"Ohh…" Elena tilted her head sideways, baffled.

Shrugging her shoulder, she rose up from her chair, grabbing her files to take with her. All of a sudden a gush of air passed her and scattered the contents on her table. All of the official papers flew helter skelter in all directions.

"Oh dear God!" She groaned as she ran to pick them up. Her fellow nurse rushed to help her.

"Elena," Doctor Stefan called her again, a patient smile on his deceiving face.

"In a minute, doctor." She replied as she tried to hurriedly collect all the papers.

"What happened here?" Stefan said, coming out of the office to see why she was taking so long. He didn't trust his brother.

"Doctor, I… I left the window open." She said fearfully, as if expecting to be scolded for her carelessness.

He look a little strained for a moment but then he smiled. "It's okay, Emma will be pick it. Please come to my office. I need your help urgently."

"Yes, doctor." She tossed the papers on her table as she followed after him.

..

..

Doctor Stefan had given her an order to write up some reports for him. He requested her to stay in the office so he could help her if she needed it. After all, he reasoned, a doctor's writing can be rather sloppy. For a while, they kept quiet. She felt him looking at her but whenever she'd look up she would find him busy reading a file or studying an x-ray. He broke the silence after a while asking about how her aunt and uncle were doing.

They chatted for some time as she made the notes. He asked her about her classes. She told him that she'd been lagging on some assignments because of work.

"What's the assignment about?" Stefan asked, playing his card. Ever the calm and collected doctor, he got up from his chair and took a seat next to her on the couch.

"Surgical analysis." She replied with a sigh. "It's a little tough and also I missed a class so…"

"I can help you." Stefan said, smiling kindly. "I love helping out beautiful girls with my vast knowledge." They both chuckled at his forward comment, but the raw emotions in his eyes told her he truly meant it.

She looked away, blushing. There was something about him that always made her heart race. His green eyes shimmered with warmth, heat that always made her go weak in legs. He was very kind and he cared a lot about her. Sometimes he would even do her work just to help her with her work load. And it wasn't just that. She'd seen how empathetic and sweet he was with his patients. Everyone at the hospital adored him and she was no exception.

"I'll like that," She replied, smiling back.

She turned her attention back to work, scribbling as fast as she could.

"Elena," She never noticed when he'd drawn closer, reading the reports over her shoulder. "You misspelled epiglottis." He let out a light laugh. He took the pen from her hand, correcting her error. She closed her eyes, breathing in his scent. Suddenly she felt a light pain in her heart as if someone had punched a hole in it.

Before she could panic, she felt Stefan's light touch on her hand. Like magic, the pain disappeared. She looked up at him, surprised. He was lost in reading the report. "You have to elaborate the Anesthetic stage; you can copy the text from my feedback notes." He instructed softly, his hand still lightly caressing her hand.

"Yes, doctor." She replied, her eyes fixed on his face rather than the report.

"Elena," He groaned looking up, staring into her eyes. "I told you to call me Stefan. We're friends. You don't need to be so formal."

"Sorry." She bit on her lip nervously. "Stefan."

His gorgeous lips transformed into a full-on smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I like the way you say my name." He breathed. Slowly, he reached out his hand to touch her cheek but before he could, a loud knock disturbed them.

"Doctor Stefan, there's had been an emergency case, you're needed." Nurse Emma announced as she opened the door.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

..

..

Damon was gleefully playing with her hair, loving the angry look on his face when Stefan saw him. Before he could do anything to stop him, Stefan called her in his office, away from the devil she couldn't see.

Damon tried to stop her, but the so called 'warlock of goodness' had his way and called her to his room. He couldn't follow her. Stefan had cast a spell on his room that assured his success and restricted darkness to enter. Damon was helpless.

He transported himself to the window, watching them from a distance. His jealousy ate into the core of his very being when he saw them sitting together, too close for his comfort.

Stefan knew Damon was nearby but he unashamedly flirted with his evil brother's Queen. Rage erupted in Damon's chest when Stefan touched her hand. He didn't even want Stefan to look at her let alone touch her. Stefan smiled. His brother's agony was his peace.

"Don't touch her," Damon warned, knowing Stefan could hear him. "She only belongs to me. She's mine."

The Angel warlock and Damon's Queen talked for a while, every second agonizing Damon more and more.

Stefan's aura was affecting Elena now because he could hear her heart race at his close proximity. Stefan leaned closer to her, instructing her about her work but she was looking at his eyes, an admiring smile gracing her face.

His heart, his soul, his entire being just popped like a punctured balloon. His soul mate, his peace, his fate, his Queen was slipping away from his fingers. But Damon wouldn't let that happen.

Just then Elena snapped out of her daze. She must feel the pain he felt too. After all, she was his heart. But before she could question this strange ache, Stefan mumbled a spell under breath, numbing her pain.

They were drawing closer; Stefan was leaning over to touch her soft cheek. But Damon wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let his brother touch her intimately. He alone had that right.

He closed his eyes, transporting to the help desk where Elena's fellow nurse was working.

"Listen to me, Emma, you'll go inside and ask doctor Stefan to attend a patient in the ER. You'll not let him come here." He compelled her, tricked her, mumbling a spell to make her his willing slave.

She nodded as she got up from her chair.

"Go now!"

She rushed to the door, knocking on the door (out of formality and training) before opening the door. "Doctor Stefan, there's had been an emergency case. You are needed."

..

..

Elena rushed out of the room to the front desk, lost in her thoughts. What just happened? What was Dr. Stefan about to do? Was he going to kiss her? Did she even want that?

She picked up the pile of files and hurried to her desk. Not even a minute had passed when she smelled the same intoxicating fragrance she was so familiar, though there was never an explanation for it.

A knock on the door of her office startled her. She looked up to see who it was and her eyes grew wide when she saw the street fighting gangster from a day ago. "You!"

A light smirk appeared at her startled appearance, "Can I come in?"

She motioned for him to enter. He duly complied, coming inside and standing beside her desk. The intensity of his eyes and the glint of mischief in them unnerved her.

She raised her eyebrow as if asking him what he was doing here.

"I hurt myself again." He said mournfully, pretend pouting.

"Your hand seems fine." She replied, glancing at his bandaged hand.

He took off his jacket, showing her his bruised arm that was bleeding copiously.

"Oh God!" She let out a gasp, hurrying to him. "How did this happen?" She asked as she examined his wound.

"Last night I had a fight with a Brazilian wrestler. I knocked him down and broke his hand and won fair and square but somehow he thinks I cheated. So he brought his friends to my house and had them beat me up." He explained patiently, pleased with his own creativeness.

Her eyes were wide, surprised at the brutality he'd suffered just for a couple of dollars.

"One of them dragged me on the road and…" He didn't even complete before she hissed. "Okay, okay, stop, don't tell…" She couldn't even hear it. How could people be so inhumane to each other?

"Sit down and let me fix you up." She sighed, ushering him to a stretcher.

She took out her first aid box from a locked cabinet and hurried back to him.

"You'll have to take off your shirt." She said as she settled her tools on the table, just like yesterday.

He moved his hand to unbutton his shirt but flinched from the strain of the muscle. She rolled her eyes and swatted his hands away. Standing between his legs, slowly, she unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off his shoulders, eyes downcast. She could feel his gaze fixed on her face. Her hands shook slightly as she inched closer to him, to clean his wounds.

She dipped the cotton ball in antiseptic and applied it on the gash. When she looked up again, she found him looking at her, lovingly, adoringly.

Ooh, the things he could do to her. He thought as some lewd images flashes in his mind.

"You look upset. Is it because I revisited your hospital?" There was a knowing smile on his face that she found confusing.

"No, fixing you up is my job."

He titled his face to get a better view of her eyes.

"Then why do you seem so angry, Miss Elena?"

She looked up once at the sound of her name coming out of his lips. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous at the way his blue orbs looked into hers. It made her weak in the knees. She looked away, not strong enough to keep the eye contact.

"How much money do you earn by these… street fights?" She asked, her mouth forming in a hard line to show her dislike to his 'profession'. She had to get his attention distracted from herself.

"About a hundred dollars." He replied, shrugging as if it didn't matter.

"Don't move." She spoke impatiently, looking up to his face once. The intensity of his eyes intimidated her and she looked away again, struggling to find words.

"Just for a couple of dollars, you're risking your life?" She finally spoke, still frowning. "Do you even realize how fortunate you are for living the life that you're living. You're healthy and alive. Not a lot of people have that. We have young children dying over here. Do you have any idea how their parents feel? They're spending every last penny they have so they could buy more time for their children and here you are, wasting your life and body like it doesn't mean anything."

It was an amazing feeling, to be taken care of. He liked the concern in her voice. No one had ever shown concern for him until now. He was drinking in the new feelings she gave him, feelings that he never felt before - and not paying any attention to her rant.

"And, do you know what you do is illegal?" Her eyes flashed with anger at his recklessness. She reminded him on a harmless angry kitten, fluffy, soft. She had no idea that she was scolding the face of evil. If anyone but her spoke to him in that tone, they would be dead by now but this was his Queen.

"I know."

"Then why do you do it?" She asked, a hand on her hip. He liked that saucy attitude.

"Because I have to eat and for that I have to earn money." He replied boldly.

"Then find a job." She suggested, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

"This is my job."

She let out a sigh, understandingly. Then her features softened. "Look… what's your name?"

"Damon." He answered eagerly, waiting for her to say his name.

"Look, Damon," Tremors of desire crashed through his body when he finally heard her say his name after his many years of longing and suffering. "You're young now, so you don't seem to think it's an issue, but you're really damaging your body. One of these days, you could seriously get hurt." She lectured him again about life and his choices, but this time her tone was soft. She dressed his shoulder, and helped him put his shirt back on.

She felt a strange peace in his proximity. He sounded so familiar. But that wasn't possible. She'd remember him if she ever met him. Men like him couldn't be forgotten. She looked up into the most incredible blue eyes she'd ever seen. He was extremely attractive, no doubt too attractive for his own good or anyone else's. Everything about him screamed danger and it didn't help that his life choices were too unsettling for her.

No, not familiar at all. She tossed out the very idea as she looked away.

"Do think about what I said." She reminded him as he stood to his feet.

"I will." He smiled as he took a step closer to her.

"The door is that way." She said, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. She didn't know why her heart raced whenever he inched closer to her.

"Good bye."

"Bye." She said turning away from him, taking a deep breath. Yes. He was familiar. And how her heart knew? Now _that_ she really wanted to know.

..

..

Elena had just finished her work at hospital. She was on her way to the Grill, a diner in the The Fells where all her friends gathered around to spend some time together and laugh and relax.

Winds were breaking the sky apart; a half moon sailed high through the clouds, then vanished again. Clouds roared and unexpectedly, it started to rain.

"Oh no." She groaned, trying in vain to keep dry by placing her handbag over her head.

"Miss Elena!" She heard the strange familiar voice calling her name over the thunder. She turned around and found her street fighter gangster patient of two days hurrying toward her, holding a black umbrella.

"You…" She started to speak but he interrupted her.

"Get under the umbrella."

"I don't think it's big enough for both of us." She said, looking skeptically at the small black umbrella.

"Fine, then you take it." He said, heroically handing it to her.

"No, I… I can't. It's yours."

"I'm fine, I'm used to harsh weather. You, on the other hand, look like a fragile doll that'll break with a gust of wind." He said with a smile that made her heart skip a beat.

"Oh… Thank you." She didn't know what to say in response to his gentlemanly consideration.

"Well, you tended my wounds so it's the least I can do for you," The gratitude in his voice shook her. Did he really think so highly of her? She just helped him because it was her job.

She held the umbrella up, settling her books in her other hand.

"Where are you going?" He asked, running a hand through his drenched hair.

"To the grill." She replied, stepping sideways to avoid a puddle.

"Let me walk you." He said.

"No, it's…"

"It's dark and there is no one out here. It isn't safe for you to walk alone." He reasoned.

She seemed a little taken aback by his considerations to her. Honestly, she never thought him as a person who would care about what happens to others.

"So, can I?" He asked, and the yearning his voice didn't go unnoticed.

"Sure." She replied, glancing toward him with a smile.

For a while, they walked quietly. She looked sideways at him. His hands were in the pockets of his soaked leather jacket. He was drenched from head to toe. She felt a little guilty but then he caught her eye and smiled, assuring her he was fine.

"I'm afraid your wounds will become infected if they get wet in this rain." She spoke worriedly.

"Don't worry, they won't. They're covered pretty well with the bandage." He replied calmly to allay her fears.

They walked and walked for a long time, from one alley to another, talking about causal things.

"So, why are you going to the grill? Shouldn't you be home by now." He asked, curiously, interrupting their casual chat. He wanted so much that they would go to her house. He liked having her all to himself.

"Oh, I made plans with some friends." She replied, not noticing his downcast expression.

"Girls night out?" He forced himself to sound cheerful.

"Sort of." She said, shyly.

"It better be girl's night out." He thought irritably. He wouldn't like it if horrible human boys were there too. Those scrawny pimpled jocks could really anger him sometimes. They would flirt with her and try to attract her attention. He hated how their dirty gazes lingered down her body. Her pure, untouched body. The body and the soul that only belonged to him.

"And you?" She asked breaking the silence. "You're not going to fight tonight too, right?" Her tone held a bit of threatening anger. She just wouldn't let it go. She really didn't like his life choices.

"No." He shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. "I had a motivational lecture today about how I should rethink about my life."

A smile crossed her face in approval.

And just when he was about to open his mouth to ask her to hang out with him, a car roared up the road and stopped beside them.

"Elena?"

Damon had never despised his brother more than he did in this moment.

"Oh, hey, Stefan." She waved, smiling.

Damon growled at the warm way she addressed him, his fists clenched, his eyes blazed. "Don't Stefan!" He mouthed the words where she couldn't see but his brother ignored his warning.

"Where you going?" Stefan asked through the half opened window.

"To the grill." Elena replied, leaning over so she could look inside the car at him.

"Hop in. I'll give you a ride." He offered, his eyes fixed on his brother's stormy expression.

Elena looked at the man beside her and then back at Stefan. She was confused at the tension between them. "Oh… you… you don't have to."

"Oh, come on, it's fine. I wanted to spend time with you anyway." Stefan said, pouting playfully.

She hesitated for a moment but then she nodded, turning back to Damon. "Thank you so much for the umbrella." She handed it back to him. "And… thank you for the… company." She added, awkwardly. What should she say now?

"Anytime." His eyes were as warm as honey but his tone was icy cold. He seemed furious with her - or Stefan -she wasn't sure which.

Elena turned away and climbed into the passenger's seat. Stefan had opened the door for her, smiling at her presence and his win.

When she settled inside, she waved at Damon one last time before Stefan drove off.

He stood there for a long time at the very point where they'd last been together, fuming and furious. The feeling of jealousy maddened him; his brain reeled. He wouldn't let this one go. His brother would get his just due for his actions. The Queen was only his. And the devil is a formidable force when what belongs to him is taken. Oh, Stefan would pay. He would pay dearly.

* * *

Beta credits to _ **Rachael (JessicaRae95**_ ). You've done an amazing job, sister. Your additions to the story is pure gold. Thank you so much for your hard work.

 **Questions**

 _If Elena is Damon's Queen why does Stefan thinks she is his?_

On Elena's parents request, Stefan saved her soul from the darkness. He'd given her a part of his soul to save her on the deal that she'll be his. In a way, she belongs with him too. Besides, to Stefan, Damon is an evil bad guy and bad guys don't get happy endings.

 _Why is Elena so pure if she's made of darkness?_

That will be answered in later stage of story.

..

There would be a little Stefan-Elena here ( I don't like it either) But that would be integral part of the story so bear with me. It is suppose to be a love triangle so...

Do review! I'll be eagerly waiting for your thoughts on it.


	5. The Devil's Kindness

**Chapter 5: 'The Devil's Kindness'**

* * *

 **Warning: From this chapter onward there would be smut, dark themes, violence and inappropriate content. Don't read if you get easily triggered.**

* * *

"Pass me another drink, you filth. And be quick about it." He compelled the human bartender, waving a hand listlessly at the back counter where the many bottles of booze and liquor proudly displayed.

"Yes sir," the man opposite the counter moved quickly at his strange customer's request, not wishing to bring upon himself the fury that seemed contained behind those gleaming eyes. There was a strange, dark aura about this man that the bartender didn't wish to challenge.

He skimmed through the bottles and poured for his customer the oldest one. Damon took a sip and savored the burning feel of the warm beverage as it slipped down his throat. "Hmm… this is good. Guess what, you mongrel? I decided not to kill you today." He snarled this random threat, gesturing toward the man to pour another drink.

How comical? He laughed to himself. The devil was having a bad day because a human girl didn't give him the attention he yearned so deeply for.

"You seem furious." Klaus's voice snapped him out of his bitter musings. Damon had been mulling over the events that happened last night. Just thinking about Stefan and Elena together made him furious all over again.

"I look furious because I am furious." He replied dryly, his tone void of all emotions. He waved a hand and an illusion of he and Elena appeared out of thin air. Like television, it showed the events of last evening when she was tending his injured arm. There was a sour expression on her face as she talked about how he was ungrateful by treating his body the careless way he did.

"Marvelous partner," Klaus laughed. "She seems irritated by you."

"Even though I took a tame sin," Damon replied shaking his head in disdain. "I'm telling you Klaus, she's made out of darkness, but it seems like when Stefan's soul merged with hers, it ruined the effect of mine. Her soul reeks of goodness. She is far too… angelic." He seemed confused as he explained his feelings to Klaus. It concerned Damon that Elena never sinned. She was far too pure for a demon like him. How could she be his soul mate if there was nothing dark about her?

Klaus shook his head. "No, everyone knows she's your Queen. Maybe it's all a show. She can't be - _angel_. The heart beating inside of her chest belongs to you. There must be something we're missing."

"I don't think so." Damon rose up from his chair, looking tenderly at the illusion Elena, "Maybe Stefan cast a spell on her that stops her from sinning. There is something wrong, Klaus. I never saw her touching a sin the whole time I was with her - she doesn't even lie. I mean for fuck sake, even the 'Warlock that never sinned' is lying now. She is just incompatible for me." He sighed dismally, shaking his head.

"Yet, you are around her all the time." Klaus pointed out, trying to be helpful.

Damon nodded, "One of these days, her doe eyes will make me forget the fact that I'm the devil. I haven't even gone hunting since last Friday."

Klaus remained quiet for a while, a little shaken by his friend's disturbed state of mind.

"And it doesn't help that the son of bitch is looking for an opportunity to sweep her off her feet." Damon growled, his fury beginning to build again. Up until now, the devil himself was protecting his soul mate and yet Stefan stole some of his most important and gratifying moments. He couldn't imagine what his brother would do if he got distracted.

"I might have a solution for that," Klaus interrupted. "You're worried that the Queen might be too pure for you. Why don't you corrupt her a bit? Make her lie or steal? You can feed off of her sins. And a bonus advantage - by corrupting her soul, you'll make it more difficult for that saint brother of yours too. He wouldn't be able to stand to look at her dirty soul."

An evil smile curved on Damon's face. "Why, you filthy genius. I never thought of that."

"I'll give the credit to the soul of the mad scientist I had for dinner today." Klaus replied with a shrug.

"I'll provoke her to sin tonight and then I shall enjoy her sweet sinful soul." Just the thought of that watered his mouth. Stefan won the game but Damon would win the war. He would destroy all goodness in his Queen's soul. He would make her as dark as his own heart.

Her doe eyes might bring him peace but it couldn't control the demon inside of him for too long. After all, he was the king of all evil. He was the devil. And the devil was selfish.

..

..

Elena had just stepped out of the shower, wrapped in her towel. Droplets of water dripped from her chin and hair and ran in glistening rivulets down her chest. She slowly walked toward where he was standing. Of course, she didn't know he was there. To her eyes, he was invisible. From a distance, she had looked alluring; up close she overwhelmed him.

Her poise, her sultry voice, even the scent she exuded all hit Damon like a rich winter wine.

"She is a sin in and of herself," he thought as a smirk covered his evil face. He took a couple of steps back, just looking at her and admiring her figure appreciatively.

She stood in front of the mirror, brushing and untangling the knots in her hair. She dropped the towel, and it crumpled to the floor in a pile.

"I would be mad at you for being a slob again but the view makes up for it." He chuckled as he inched closer behind her.

She pulled on her underwear and pants first and then picked up her blood red lacy bra. She tucked her breasts into it and then reached behind her for the hook but it proved difficult to reach. Damon moved closer, brazenly breathing in the fruity scent of her shampoo. Slowly, he extended his hands to touch her shoulders and slid them slowly down to her hands, relishing the feel of her soft silky skin. She shivered as if she could feel the coldness of his touch. Her breath hitched in her throat and her heart began to race.

She hesitated, confused and then shrugged the feeling off and concentrated on hooking her bra. He invisibly helped her, guiding the hooks into the eyelets. She sighed, relaxing. Finally.

He took a couple of steps back, letting her pull on the red shirt without his help. Interrupting the moment, her phone beeped. She hurried to the nightstand, and picked up the device.

"Project submission on thirteen—Professor Shane." The text message read.

"Oh no! I haven't even started my project!" Elena panicked, rumpling her newly brushed hair. How would she make the project in three days? She hadn't even bought the material yet and she knew it would cost a lot of money to make what the Professor had in mind. But if she didn't make the project, she will lose the ten percent credit. That would not be good, because she needed to pass the course with fairly decent grades.

"But I don't have that kind of money," She moaned to no one in particular, flopping down on the bed. All her hard earned work money went toward her college fee. And she possibly couldn't ask Jenna and Ric for another loan. They were already working double shifts to pay all of their bills.

"You can always steal from Ric's bag. He will think the money just went missing," Damon murmured in her ear.

"No," She shook her head, startled at her 'own' thinking. "Stealing is wrong."

"Yes, it is, but you can just put it back later after you get your paycheck next month. A couple of dollars won't harm them." He provoked her thoughts and began to twist her view of the situation. He was the devil, after all.

"Then why don't I just ask him to lend me some? Must I steal?" She asked herself, confused.

"Yeah, right. Elena, he's isn't your father. He's your aunt's husband. Do you really think he'll lend you that kind of money?"

She seemed half convinced and half conflicted.

"It won't hurt my grade much if I didn't make this project." She told herself, trying to shake the thoughts that plagued her.

"Oh, like you know that for sure. Tell me Elena, did you really understand Mrs. Ben's surgical demonstration class? Nope. You are going to definitely lose some marks there too. You'll fail this semester." He convinced her with his argument. He knew how important the dream of becoming a doctor was to her. And he used its value against her angelic conscience.

"No." She gasped at the very thought of failing.

"You just need a little money. You can put it back later. They would never know." He tempted her again, smiling as he realized that Klaus's plan was actually working.

With a shaky breath, she forced herself to move. Slowly she tip-toed out of her room to Jenna's bedroom. The whole family were all sleeping. She walked gingerly to the closet, took out Jenna's purse and hurriedly took out some cash. She didn't even count how much she took. Quickly, she shoved the bag back in the closet and almost ran out of the room, gasping to breathe.

"Well done, my Queen," He smirked looking at her flustered, out of breath form. "Don't worry, no one will ever know."

But before he could cast a spell to calm her shattered nerves, a ball of light appeared out of nowhere and struck him into numbness. And he knew nothing else.

..

..

Damon didn't know where he was. One minute he was in his Queen's room and the next minute he was summoned to a barren graveyard. There was a sharp pain in his chest. It was terribly, blinding intense - and he felt as if someone was thrusting needles into every square inch of his body.

He closed his eyes, murmurming a spell to call forward the chief of his cult. But he hadn't even begun it before he felt the chief's presence around him.

"Damon, do you realize what you've done." He heard Cade's roar, like a bellowing lion that has had an unsuccessful hunt.

He knelt before the chief in respect even though he still felt the excruciating pain. "I… I fed on the Queen's sins."

"You amateur sinner, didn't I tell you about her lineage to Petrova's. She's shielded by her blood. If it was that easy to corrupt her, why would I ask you - my toughest warlock - to merge souls with her? Why would I ask you to sacrifice your heart for her?" Cade's voice sounded deafening to Damon's ears. Cade was more than angry now. He was livid.

"You are the devil, I know, and you can't help your evil, devilish ways. But you cannot cheat your way into eating that angelic soul of hers. You must beat Stefan fair and square and win her love."

Cade added in a calmer tone. "Now, look what you've done. You've bruised her soul. You have hurt all three of you - you, Stefan and the Queen."

"I hurt the Queen?" Damon didn't know why but he felt a sinking feeling at that terrible thought.

"Yes, you will all be punished for this sin. You tried to tamper with the balance of nature and now you'll all suffer the consequences." Cade continued wearily. "I'll heal you of its effects and Stefan will be healed by his chief too, but the queen will have to suffer from your mistake."

Damon didn't understand how he could feel so overwhelmed by shame. He never wanted to hurt his Queen. He felt as if he would never breathe again. He would never know the forgiveness he sought. He would never deserve it. It would never be his again.

"Now remember, you can only corrupt her after you bed her. You have to bring her to us but by her own will and desire. She must submit to darkness with her full consent."

"Chief? " Damon interrupted, suddenly, unable to be silent any longer.

"What?" Cade snarled, unhappy about being interrupted during his tirade.

"What will Queen have to suffer?" Damon asked, strangely quiet.

"Typical ways humans suffer for their sins. Sickness, anxiety, accidents."

"My Lord, can't you relieve her of this impending pain instead of healing me. I can take the pain but the girl…"

"My, My… Is the devil in love?" Cade snarled sarcastically, tilting his head to one side in scrutiny of the devil before him.

"I can't love, my Lord. I'm hatred." Damon replied, correcting the leader. "I just… the poor girl, she's suffered so much in the…"

"I can't help her and neither can you, mighty Devil. She needs to feel the pain and pay for your sin. It is fate."

"But…" Damon tried again, helpless to change the chief's ruling, or that of fate.

"Even if I wanted to help her, Damon, I can't. She is part Stefan, remember? Part goodness. Ask Stefan to tell his chief to heal her. I can't use my powers to heal something that has an ounce of goodness in it and neither can you."

"My Lord, if you could just heal half of the Queen's pain." Damon pleaded.

"I won't and nor will you! I forbid you from that, understand?" Cade barked this order, sealing the fate of Damon's queen with his decree.

"Yes, my Lord." Damon felt utterly helpless. Chief's order was law.

"Now, away with you."

..

..

When he summoned back himself to her room, Damon saw that she was ready for college. She already looked paler than he had ever seen her. He felt a little ache in his heart as he realized she was going to suffer because of him and his dumb ideas. A sudden thought nudged its way into his mind. Maybe if he made her return the money she would not have to suffer as much. He hurried toward where she was and stood behind her. "Put the money back."

She already looked confused and guilty. It didn't take much time to make her even more guilty for her actions. Damn, he was doing the angel's job now. He sighed in frustration and shook his head. Some devil he was.

He accompanied her to Jenna's room and watched her put the money back. Nodding his head, he considered his first angelic job a success.

Breakfast went by as usual. Jenna made pancakes and they all made small talk. He sat by her side, invisible to all eyes except Alice's, and played with his Queen's hair.

"You don't look so good?" Ric's eyes scanned Elena's face, across the table from her.

"I don't know what's wrong. I felt fine this morning," She replied, weakly. She felt dizziness overcoming her and her whole body hurt felt like hell. "Seasonal flu, I guess." She added, with a wane laugh.

"You should take a day off." Ric suggested, worried.

"No, I can't. I have an important class." She brushed off the very idea, and stood as if to leave, grabbing her jacket.

"Did someone touch my purse?" Jenna asked, going through her purse, as she too made ready to leave for work.

The Devil's eyes snapped up to look at the girl standing beside him. She looked scared and confused. He leaned closer to Elena and whispered, "Don't you dare lie." Sinning again would only make her suffering worse.

Elena nodded, not saying a word, but looking calm and noncommittal.

"Oh, okay." Jenna didn't pressure her to tell more, and seemed not to appear concerned.

"Achoo." Elena sneezed and looked around for a tissue.

Even accepting her mistake didn't pardon her for committing the evil deed, Damon thought dismally. They were in for a rough week.

..

..

As evening drew closer, her health condition had gone from bad to worse. Her eyes were red, her head was spinning and she felt like vomiting. Yet, now she was on her way to work. Unaware of the devil who was guarding her, she dodged many cars that would have otherwise slammed into her as she hurried across streets and down sidewalks.

"Stop." He murmured in her ear, noticing she was lost in her own thoughts. "Let the car go first."

She coughed, halting, and gestured to the car's driver to move past her.

"Wait for me, now. I'm going to see you again in a minute but in my physical form… you can take care of yourself for a minute, right?" He stroked her cheek tenderly with his thumb. He swept back the hair at her temples, sifting the silky strands with his fingertips and kissed her face, just at the corner of her mouth.

She let out a gasp, feeling a little surprised. To her, it was as if the slow breeze just kissed her. But that was impossible, right? Maybe the fever was working her up and making her imagine things that couldn't be possible.

He inched back a couple of steps, disappearing at the corner of the alley before appearing in his human form.

Running his hands through his hair to make it messier, he walked out of the alley to where he had left her. She was crossing the road, again lost in her own musings, sniffing and coughing.

A car dashed toward her and she was completely unaware. Before it could harm her, he ran toward her, grabbing her arm and yanking her out of the way. With nothing to brace against, she slammed into his chest. He caught her in his arms, holding her steady as his pulse kicked into the next gear.

She stared up at him, her eyes alight with horror of the situation and surprised at his sudden presence.

He should have let her go. He should have released her from his captive arms but he didn't. Instead, for a split second, his arms tightened, his embrace holding her motionless.

"What the hell?" She finally jerked away. "You!"

"Hey!" He smirked, cockily, giving her a crooked smile.

"Were you… were you following me?" The sound of 'n' was coming out as 'b'. She could hardly speak intelligibly because of her flu.

"No. It's a magical coincidence. Our fates are playing with us, forcing us to meet over and over again, until we accept that… there is something going on between us." His tone was light but the intensity of his eyes took her breath away.

She took a couple of steps back, turning away and rolling her eyes at his Romeo-like explanation.

"Whatever. Just stay away from me." Jenna and Ric would have a heart attack if they ever found out she was acquaintances with a gangster. They really disapproved of crowds like him.

"But, I'm hurt again and I was hoping you will fix me up." He pouted, following her.

She turned on her heels, glaring at him. "You fought again, didn't you?"

She didn't let him reply and continued. "This is unacceptable. I am not your mom. You can't just fight and then come to me to fix you up." Again, pronouncing mom as bob because of her flu.

"Yes, you're not my bob but you're a nurse and this is your job." He said, stepping closer to her.

"Well, I can't." She turned away from him again. "I'm not the only nurse in the world. Go find someone else to annoy." She didn't know why, but the idea that he hurt himself and others for a living bothered her - a lot. She wanted to show him that it was unacceptable to any sane person around. Also, she was annoyed because of her flu and she didn't have much patience for his kind.

"Really? Miss Elena, you'd really leave your poor patient alone like this, hurt and stranded, with no one to help and-,"

She turned around glaring at him, interrupting his rant. "Okay, fine, loser." She stepped closer, examining him from a distance. "I don't see any new bruises. Where did you hurt yourself?"

He lifted her hand and placed it on his heart. "Right here."

She sighed a cold sigh, rolling her eyes again at his Romeo antics. "Really? Is this, (sneeze), (sneeze)-,"

He offered her a tissue, smiling at her cute sneeze.

She took it, blowing her nose into it, sheepishly thanking him with her eyes. "Thank you, now as I was saying, you..." She trailed off when he stepped closer. She stepped back, her reflexes warning her to stay away.

He could feel her heart race and her breath hitched. He moved his hands to his back, clicked his fingers and magically conjured a white rose. He then offered it to her, "Go out with me?"

She looked a bit startled. She could've sworn there was nothing in his hands a moment before, but maybe he'd been hiding the rose in his back pocket.

Her eyes narrowed when she looked at the rose. It seemed so familiar, like the rose from her dreams.

"I… I…" What was she doing, Jenna would never approve of him. "I don't go out with gangsters." She said, turning around to leave.

"How cruel? Gangsters have hearts too you know." He followed her, "And besides, I'm way better than your homeboys. I'll show you things you've never seen. You don't know what you're missing."

"Can't you leave a sick girl alone?" Her head felt dizzy. Weird images flashed before her eyes, things didn't make any sense. She couldn't think. She couldn't…

"Sick… wow, and you're still beautiful." His complemented would've made her blush any other time but right now she could hardly see.

"I… I can't…" She tried to speak, but the words just wouldn't come out.

"Of course, you can, come on, Queen, give me a chance." Damon took that moment to step forward and take her shoulders in his hands.

"Can't breathe." Elena managed to whisper. She could hear strange sounds. What was happening?

 _Car crashing._

 _An angelic voice asking her if she was okay._

 _Her parents._

"Elena, Elena?" Damon seemed alarmed at the sudden turn of events.

She tried to hold on to reality but darkness prevailed before her eyes and she fell limp in his arms but before she could fall to the ground, he grabbed her.

"Queen! Queen! Elena," He tapped her cheek, trying to bring her back to consciousness but it looked as if she was in a deep sleep. Her body burned with an intense fever beneath his ice cold touch. He picked her up in his arms—bridal style. "Don't worry, my Queen, I'll take care of you."

..

..

Sliding against the soft satin sheets, she tried to wake up, but her body ached and her head pounded. She looked around, worriedly. This wasn't the hospital or home. Where was she? Who brought her here?

Her question was answered directly when her gangster patient of three days entered the bedroom door. He was holding a tray in his hands. She could smell the fragrance of chicken soup.

"Oh, you're awake." He seemed relieved to see her awake.

"You! You brought me here. What do you want from me? Why am I here? Where am I?" A part of her was terrified. He was a criminal after all but another part of her seemed relaxed. Somehow she knew he wouldn't harm her. Why did she know that? Vaguely, the thought that he seemed familiar crossed her mind. She felt as if she had seen him before in her dreams.

"Calm down, sweets. You passed out, so I brought you here. I don't want anything from you." He answered, putting the tray on the side table, drawing closer to her.

She shrunk away, afraid of the friendly stranger.

"Hey, relax," He murmured softly, reaching his hand to check her forehead. "Trust me, you're safe here. I will never harm you."

She didn't know why but deep inside, she believed him. Her heart testified that the kind stranger wouldn't hurt her. She swallowed, allowing him to examine her for a fever. "Where am I?"

"My apartment." He answered, pulling back, picking up the tray from the side table and placing it on the bed. He spoke calmly, and gestured for her to drink the soup. She duly complied, picking up the spoon. The soup felt like heaven to her aching throat.

"Why are you doing this?" She demanded suddenly.

"What?" He pretended to remain oblivious to the reason for her query.

"Damon!" She growled, in a cute charming way that was made even less threatening by her stuffy nose.

"You helped me, it's only fair that I help you." He reasoned, shrugging.

"But that was my job." She pointed out.

"I know." He shrugged again.

She shook her head, knowing she wasn't going to get a straight answer out of him. She didn't see why the stranger cared so much about her. She didn't even know him three days ago.

"You know, if you were so ill, you really should have just taken off work. Why would you tire your body like that?" He scolded gently, sitting down on the edge of the bed beside her.

"I couldn't miss work… I was hoping I could get an extra shift for… something," She replied awkwardly. "But, now I can't even do that," She murmured under her breath.

"What?" He already knew but he wanted her to share her troubles with him. "Tell me. Why are you so upset? What troubles you and I promise you, I'll make it go away."

She looked up into his eyes, surprised by his concern. She thought about telling him her troubles but then decided against it. He was a gangster. He couldn't possibly understand her issues. And it wouldn't help her situation to be seen with the likes of him. It would ruin her reputation in town. It was better if she ended this right here.

"I should go." She said after a brief pause.

"Why?" Damon asked quickly, alarmed at the very idea.

"It's late," She reasoned.

"Well, okay if you insist." He said, softly. "Let me drop you off at home."

"You know where my home is?" She seemed alarmed at this knowledge.

"You'll help me with directions." He rolled his eyes at her alarm.

She nodded, convinced with his explanation.

"Here, wear my jacket." He offered her his leather jacket, in a last ditch effort to make an impression on his Queen.

"Uhh…" She hesitated, unsure if she should accept.

"Unlike your homeboy, I don't have a fancy car. We're going on my bike." Secretly, he just wanted her to have something that would remind her of him.

"Ohh…" She replied, finally accepting his jacket.

She put it on and struggled with the zipper. He shook his head, swatting her hands away and helped her zip it up. A brief pause followed as they stared into each other's eyes.

A voice boomed in the corridors, popping their bubble, "That fucking self-proclaimed angel was lurking around—," Klaus trailed off as his eyes fell on his friend and the Queen of the king of all evil. "We've got company." He smiled.

"This is my friend, Klaus and Klaus this is… Miss Elena, 'my' nurse." Damon introduced them awkwardly. Damon had not expected Klaus to return so early.

"Nice to meet you," Klaus greeted her, suave and collected, his eyes gleaming.

Before Elena could reply, Damon jealously interrupted the moment. "We should go, Elena, your aunt would be worried." He instantly bit his tongue. He had to stop slipping like that!

"How do you know about my aunt?" Elena questioned, looking unsure again.

"You talked about her in your sleep." He lied expertly, immediately feeling guilty. He really was just a devil.

"Oh… okay, let's go." Elena motioned toward the door.

They remained quiet on the ride home. She was holding to his waist lightly, coughing and sneezing now and then.

"I lied." He confessed suddenly.

"Huh, when?" She seemed confused by his confession.

"I mean I'm really a sinner." His confession confused her further.

She didn't reply, lowering her head to hide her face from the harsh slaps of winter air.

"Miss Elena?"

"You can call me Elena," she replied.

"Okay, Elena?" he smiled.

"Yes," she mumbled.

"Why are you so upset?"

There was a strange innocence in his question, she thought. He genuinely seemed concerned.

"I…" She sighed. "I'm short on money. I stole some from my aunt, cause I thought it would help, but I felt so guilty that I returned it. I wanted to work an extra shift tonight for some quick cash but… I'm sick and I can't even do that now. I'm helpless."

He smirked, laughing inwardly at her silly human problems. He could put all the treasure in the world at her feet and she was worried about a couple of dollars.

"Don't worry, something will come up." He reached down and patted her leg in a comforting guesture.

"Easy for you to say." She sighed, leaning her head against his back. Man she was so tired.

He halted outside her house, putting a foot down to balance the bike.

"Thank you for everything, Damon." She said quietly as she climbed off. "Thank you for taking care of me and bringing me back. I don't know how to repay you."

"You could go out with me." His eyes sparkled with mischief when he said that, hunching his shoulders against the bitter wind.

She let out a chuckle at his incessant stubbornness. "Yeah, we'll see." She turned to leave but he called her again, "Miss Elena?"

She spun on her heel. "What?"

He reached for his back pocket again, taking out a white rose, holding it out to her.

A soft smile curved her lips, she looked at it and then to him, and then finally accepted it.

With a coy smile, she turned to leave, "Good night, Damon."

"Goodnight, my queen."

..

..

"What do you mean I can't make money?" He asked Cade, surprised. He was the Devil, for goodness sake. How hard was it to conjure a little cash?

"Steal it, earn it or snatch it." Cade replied, bored. "We can't magically conjure it. It's human artifact not magical or natural. Don't you see Stefan? He earns his money by doing his doctor duties."

"Is this what it has come to? Now, Stefan is the role model around here," Damon barked, displeased by the example. "You didn't tell me this before."

"As intelligent as you are, Devil, I thought you'd figure out yourself. But I realize that you have been busy elsewhere, tending to your sick Queen's needs, playing her nurse."

"I…" For the first time in a long while Damon was nervous.

"I don't have anything to do with any of that. You already know what I want from you. I don't care how you bring her to our cult. That's your work. Do whatever you want but don't forget who you really are. You're the Devil, the King of all Evil. You are Hatred and Sin. Don't fall in love with the Queen. She is your 'need' not 'want' - falling in love would mean weakness and here in our cult, we do not tolerate weakness." Cade emphasized the last word in a disdainful snarl.

"I understand," Damon lowered his head, submitting to his chief's will.

"Now, off to your work."

..

..

When Elena opened the glass door of her office, she came face to face with the handsome gangster.

"You again!" She grumbled, shoulders drooping. Man this guy was getting annoying, popping up every time she turned around.

"Hey!" He greeted her cheerfully.

She shook her head in disapproval. She was starting to think he was only hurting himself to see her. She didn't approve of that idea at all.

"You accidently hurt yourself again, didn't you?" she asked tiredly.

"I—,"

"Or maybe you fought again, even after I told you repeatedly that it's illegal and dangerous. Would you ever listen to me? You know what I'm calling security, this isn't going to…" She trailed off when he moved past her into the room and shut the door.

Her eyes widened. What was he about to do?

"What are you doing?" She demanded, cautiously.

"Are there any security cameras here?" He asked abruptly, glancing around the room.

"Uhh…" She didn't know what to say.

"Never mind." He said as if he already knew the answer. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out some cash. "Here, Is this enough?" He showed her what he held in his hand.

For a minute, she seemed shocked. Unable to speak, she kept looking at the money and then him then she finally spoke. "I… yes but…"

"Here, take it." He lifted her hand and placed the cash in her palm.

"I can't. This is yours." She replied quickly.

"But you need it." He smiled.

"I do but I can't just take it from you."

"Look, if you're worried that this is illegal money than I promise you it isn't. I… I worked at a construction site today. This is what I earned." He seemed a little nervous as he confessed. "It's supposed to be a gift but if you're uncomfortable then consider it a loan. Return it to me whenever you want." He added, his eyes boring into hers - his tone was honest and warm as honey.

She looked a little confused but when he insisted she finally accepted it, promising she would return it soon. She truly was thankful for his help.

"You really worked at a construction site?" Elena asked to confirm, and seemed pleasantly surprised when he nodded.

"Is that why your hands are bruised and swelling?" Concern flowed in her tone. She seemed overwhelmed by his care and consideration.

He nodded, again, eyes downcast.

"Sit down, let me tend them." She smiled kindly.

"No, it's fine." He waved her away.

"Don't worry, my services are free of charge today." She said playfully, pushing him toward the bed, and making him sit down. She turned away, looking for the first aid box. Finding it, she dragged a stool over to the bed and sat down in front of him. She placed his hands on her lap and slowly massaged them with an ointment.

"I seriously don't know why you're so kind to me?" She said as she worked on his hands.

"I don't know either." Damon replied truthfully.

"Seriously, why? You didn't even know me a week ago. Why would you go all this trouble for me?" She questioned, her face crumpled in concentration.

"Well, to be honest, at first I just wanted to sweep you off your feet and impress you. But then I realized that I couldn't see you worried. I just had to find a way to make you smile again."

A light gasp escaped her lips. She stared at him for a while and found honesty on his face. She nodded, smiling shyly. She layered a bandaged around his palm and carefully taped it. She could feel his eyes on her face. She looked up to check and found her assumption to be right. As usual, he was looking at her admiringly, enjoying her closeness. She turned her eyes away, blushing.

"I'm sorry I forgot your jacket at home." She spoke suddenly as if to distract his attention from her face.

"It's okay, I'll take it some other time," He replied slowly, "It will give me another excuse to visit you again."

She smirked at his reply, focusing on his other hand now.

Out of habit, he reached his hand to her and untucked a strand held behind her ear. It fell on her nose, tickling. She looked up at him, narrowing her eyes playfully and shaking her head in a no.

"All done,"She said finally, stepping away.

He jumped off the bed, inching closer to her. Boldly, he leaned over and kissed her cheek softly. She gasped, her heart racing. "Thank you," He breathed before moving away. She nodded, nervously, putting the strand of hair behind her ear where it belonged. A brief pause followed.

"Can I walk you home?" He finally spoke.

"My shift doesn't end for another two hours." She replied quietly, not looking at him.

"I'll wait - unless you're afraid?" he replied just as quietly.

"Afraid of what?" Her brows furrowed, and her tone became confused again.

"Afraid that I might win your heart?" He laughed, half-joking.

"Too high on ourselves are we," She played along, raising her eyebrows as if reprimanding him.

"It's a fact." He stated calmly. "You already feel drawn to me. Sooner or later, you might start feeling something else too."

She looked away, letting out a chuckle. It was strange. Whenever she smiled, he felt like the world lit up. And whenever he made her smile, he felt like he had achieved something great. He rubbed a spot at the center of his chest where the pleasant fullness was centered.

When he turned to leave, she called his name, "Damon?"

"Hmm?" He asked turning to face her.

"Can you wait for me? I might like a companion for the walk home." She asked shyly.

He smiled a genuine smile, "Hmm, let me check my schedule. Oh. All clear. I'll wait."

He watched her go back to work, and let out a breath he had not realized he had been holding. Finally, his Queen was falling him. After all of his wooing, and winning, and pain, and terrible suffering - after all his sleepless nights, and struggles to remain invisible and conjure up visions of his Queen - he finally had begun to succeed. Curse Cade. Curse that angel warlock. Curse Fate. Elena would be his Queen after all.

From a distance, he could see Stefan watching them. The wheels were turning in his head, he was thinking of a game, his eyes flashed with anger. The war has begun.

* * *

 _Thank you for your reviews and support. Honestly, you're all amazing. I wouldn't know what to do without you guys!_

 _**Beta'd version update_

 _***Thank you, Jessica Rae, for being an amazing beta. As usual, you did a great job!_

Sorry for the late update. I had been busy with my exams.

I hope you liked the chapter. The next chapter is explosive. Let me give you a spoiler.

Stefan uses his first card against his brother.

Elena get's a glimpse of the devil with the help of Stefen.

 **I hope you liked the chapter. Please review because your reviews keep this story alive.**

* * *

 _Mia, I'm not much of a novel junkie anymore but for you, I would suggest 'My sister's keeper', 'The book thief' and 'Me before you'. (Note: I'm not endorsing them, it's just a couple of books on top of my mind that I read and enjoyed.)_


	6. The Devil's Wrath

**Chapter 6: 'The Devil's Wrath'**

* * *

"Who is that, nurse?" Doctor Stefan asked Elena when he managed to call her away from her office to the ER.

"Who?" She asked, half lost in her own world, furiously scribbling on her notepad.

"That man!" He pointed an accusing finger at his brother who had been glaring at him ever since he started talking to Elena.

"Oh, him! That's my patient." She replied, a little coyly. "Also, he's sort of my friend."

"Your patient?" Stefan raised one brow in feigned curiosity.

Elena didn't reply and looked down at her hands, a little bit afraid of what his reaction would be.

"What kind of people are you hanging out with, Elena?" Stefan muttered in low judgmental voice.

"He… he's not as rough as he looks, Stefan. He's - he's really not a bad person." She replied, hurriedly in an attempt to remove the calculating frown from her questioner's face.

Stefan bit his lower lip, painfully. Elena barely knew Damon and she was already blatantly defending him. Stefan knew he would lose her if he didn't make a move in the very near future. He looked up from this fearsome realization to find his smug brother smirking by himself in the far side of the room. Damon was looking out of the window, acting oblivious to his brother's questions, but Stefan knew that he was listening in to every single word.

Irritated, Stefan muttered a spell under his breath, making it impossible for his brother to hear any more of their quiet conversation.

"Elena, as a friend and your team head, I would advise you to stay away from the likes of him. He clearly looks like a gangster. You don't want the disciplinary department to take notice of this. It could place your job here in dire jeopardy." Stefan warned, placing his hands on her shoulders in a consoling way.

"But, Doctor, he isn't harming anyone. He just comes here now and then to…" Elena began to defend him again and Stefan inwardly growled.

"Elena," he quickly interrupted. "I think I remember him from somewhere and it's certainly not for a good reason." He shook his head in consternation, his innocent, honest eyes wide and full of concern. "I've noticed he's been visiting you this entire week and honestly, it's genuinely concerning."

"Doctor," Elena began again.

"Stefan," He reminded, gently.

"Yes," She let out a shaky laugh. "Stefan- it's very kind of you to look out for me but trust me, he just looks dangerous. That's just an illusion. He's genuinely a very nice person." She added, her kind eyes smiling up at him.

He knew arguing with her was futile. His devil brother knew how to charm people when he wanted to. It was time to take a serious action, no matter the consequences. He had to show Elena a glimpse of the demon inside Damon's charmed appearance.

Unexpectedly, Stefan took her hand in both of his, cradling her fingers in the warmth of his touch, and her breath all but froze in her lungs. She didn't know why he had this peculiar effect on her. Whenever he was close to her, she felt a supernatural pull.

"Just promise me, you'll be careful." He said softly, gently, sweetly.

She stared at him with her mouth agape for a moment but then recovered. She hurriedly nodded in a trance-like a state.

He gave her the smile that always made her heart beat faster.

"I don't want to sound controlling, Elena," He said kindly.

"I know… it's really fine." She assured him as they walked back to the desk together.

"It's just… you're too innocent. I don't know why but I feel protective of you." He confessed, his eyes shining with honesty. "I hope I'm not freaking you out." He added, quickly, making her chuckle at his heroic hastiness.

"No, no, I know your intentions are pure." She replied, feeling a little shy by his obvious attraction to her.

She could see Emma, her fellow nurse, hovering nearby with envious eyes fixed on her. She winked at Elena. All the nurses of their department had a crush on the green-eyed kind doctor and he was showering his attention on only Elena. The thought made her just a little proud and a little giddy.

"Just so you know, I'll always be here whenever you need help." He said softly, patting her shoulder.

She was about to reply but instead sneezed. She still had not recovered from her terrible cold. She murmured an apology and took out a tissue from her pocket.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked, sudden concern appearing on his face again.

"Just a seasonal cold, doctor." She replied, awkwardly, making a noncommittal motion with her hand as of to wave away his question. "I'm taking my meds but I guess it will take time." She added, so as not to offend him.

He nodded picking up his files. "I'll see you around then," and he nodded politely and left the office.

..

..

"Achoo! Achoo!" Elena took out another tissue, wiping her nose.

Stefan was working right by her side but he seemed indifferent to her pain and discomfort. He was tending to a patient, carefully examining him. "You'll heal in a few days," Stefan said kindly to the old man, murmuring a spell that would slowly fade away the pain.

"Akh," Elena coughed harshly.

That's it, Damon had seen enough. He didn't have the power to remove her sufferings but Stefan did. And he knew Stefan was aware of that. Cade had told him that Stefan's chief could fix her then why hadn't Stefan asked his chief yet.

Anger rising I️ side of him, Damon walked to where his brother had sat down to write up files and stood towering in front of his desk.

"Greetings! Creature of hate," Stefan said without looking up.

"You can heal the old filth but you can't heal Elena," Damon hissed in a fearsome whisper.

"Sorry?" Stefan kept writing although his pen paused a fraction of a second in obvious confusion.

"She has been coughing and sneezing the entire time she has been working beside you, can't you see?"

"So?" Stefan shrugged and started writing a new file.

"So, you can fix her," Damon replied, throwing his hands in the air as if it was the most obvious thing to do. If he had the power he would have healed her without a second thought. And he was the Devil!

"Why should I? You're the one who made her sin." Stefan replied still without looking up.

"She put the money back," Damon said, angrily pounding the desk.

"But she sinned. She'll have to suffer." Stefan said firmly, glancing at the angry hands still curled into fists resting on his desk.

"Stefan, your chief can fix her. She doesn't have to suffer in all this…"

Stefan cut him off before he could complete his plea. "Careful, brother, it sounds like you're pleading for me, the "angel", to end her sufferings. I don't think your cult would appreciate that."

Damon glared at him for a while. Stefan finally let out a chuckle, getting from his chair. "Advance warning, she's going to hate you soon." He added, sneering.

"Yeah about that. Warn her all you want, Baby bro. She's still mine. You've lost her." Damon said a little louder than he intended when his brother started walking away from him.

Stefan stopped in his tracks, looking back at Damon. He stepped quickly toward his brother, an amused smile playing on his lips. "You know what your problem is, Damon? You are always in such a hurry. The game has only begun now. You can't take the prize by winning one round. We both have a looong way to go."

"A game? Elena is a game to you?" Damon snarled in disgust. It angered him how his brother was disrespecting his queen.

"She is my soul mate, brother. I 'love' her." He declared. "Can you say that? Can you truly say you genuinely, without a doubt, love her?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

For the first time in a long while, Damon was speechless. Could he say he was in love with Elena? He couldn't because he couldn't love her. He couldn't love at all. The devil was hatred and darkness in himself. Love was for people who believed in goodness and light. He was as far from them as the east is from the west. No, Elena was his soul mate. She belonged to him and that's why he needed her. She was a part of his soul, his peace, his other half. But that was it. She was not his love, nor would she ever be.

"Of course, What am I asking!" Stefan facepalmed himself. "How can the devil love? You're not allowed to fall in love. You'll have to leave your cult for that which means you'll have to give up your powers and you will never do that, will you? The heavens and goodness would never take you and neither would the darkness. You'll be all alone again, just like the time when mother and father locked you in that well to die." Harshly, cruelly, Stefan whispered this threat, reminding Damon the darkest, most vulnerable part of his life. "All alone, Damon, with only conjured, empty wishes to keep you company in the vast wasteland of - rejection!"

Wordlessly, Damon snarled, glaring at his brother.

But before he could say anything, a quizzical voice stopped him.

"Damon?"

When he looked around, Elena was standing behind him, her books in her right hand and her handbag on the other.

"Let's go?" She asked, looking a little uncertain by the tension she could feel between Doctor Stefan and her patient.

She could judge by Doctor Stefan's sour expression that he didn't approve of Damon. She wondered what they were talking before she interrupted them. It looked like they were in a pretty tense discussion.

"You're not busy, right?" She spoke again, curious at the way the two men still stood in terse silence.

"No. No. I just wanted to know some details." Stefan replied, forcing a smile on his face, his eyes still fixed stonily on his brother.

"If you're done… can we…" She trailed off awkwardly, motioning toward the door.

"Yeah, we are done. Let's go." Damon said, turning to her and taking her books from her hand.

"Thank you," She replied, charmed by his thoughtfulness. "See you tomorrow, doctor." She turned to Stefan, waving at him.

He waved back smiling outwardly, burning inwardly. 'Oh, brother! You've no idea what I've planned for you.' He thought. Elena would never want to see his brother again once she witnessed the devil's true face.

..

..

"Then, there is Caroline and Bonnie, my best friends since pre-school and Matt, he is also sort of my ex, but we broke it off ever since…" She trailed off thinking of her parents.

"Your parent's death." He completed, gently.

She nodded, quietly, eyes downcast.

"But anyway, we've all been together since forever. Kind of like unofficial siblings. I've already told you about Aunt Jenna, Uncle Ric and Alice." She laughed. "That's all my family and friends." When she turned to look at him, she found him just staring at her in silence. She waved a hand in front of his face to break his stare and get his full attention. "Damon?"

"Yes, Queen." He said, a little too fast, assuring her that he was listening.

"Queen?" She looked amused at his choice of words. "That's a fancy word."

He shrugged, "I'm a little old school."

She let out a giggle. "Okay, now tell me about you?"

He bit the inside of his cheek and Elena wondered at the nervous gesture. He didn't seem anxious to talk about himself.

"There is nothing much to know. I grew up in a rough world, my life was filled with darkness and then…"

"Then?"

"Then I met you," He smiled the smile only she managed to bring out.

She giggled again, looking away shyly. They walked down the street together a little while, then they stopped and sat down on a bench that was near the park a street across from the Grill.

"You're really cheesy." She commented.

"It comes out naturally, trust me," He replied, sitting facing her.

"Aha, okay," She said, nodding, an amused expression on her face. "So, what about your family?"

A serious, heartbroken look came over Damon's face. "They died in a serial killer attack," He finally said, eyes downcast. He wasn't lying this time. But when he looked down he didn't want her to see the demons that reflected in his eyes whenever he talked about the two people he despised the most.

"I'm so sorry." He heard her gasp. "That's terrible. I… I shouldn't have asked…" The concern in her doe eyes stirred something deep inside him. Before he knew it, she inched closer and enclosing her arms around him, drawing him to her embrace. He wrapped his hands around her tenderly, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

She felt so soft and warm in his arms that he never wanted to let go. If he had his way, he would have stopped time at the very moment. But even the devil was powerless in front of fate. He never pulled away and decided to let her make the move.

Elena felt the jolt of electricity burn through her from the touch of his skin against her. She had never felt this with anyone else before. Slowly, she pulled away, feeling a little awkward.

"I…"

"Thank you, I really needed that," He said, gratitude visible in his eyes.

She smiled, rising up from the bench. He mirrored her move, ready to continue on himself, away from the moment of sadness he had just experienced. They walked down the road, talking about all sort of other things.

"I wanted to go to Waterville valley this December for skiing but I have so much work. I can't." She talked and talked and he listened quietly, responding now and then. She had a hell long of a wish list and he had plans to make all her dreams come true.

"Why can't you?" He asked.

"I have so much work, there is no way I can take a day off."

"You like snow falls?"

"I love snow falls." She nodded, excitedly. "When I was six, every winter vacation, my parents would take me to Crystal mountain for hiking. Oh, it was just beautiful! We would make snow angels and have snowball fights. I loved every second of it," she sighed contentedly at the happy memory.

"If… If I take you, would you like to go?" Damon asked curiously.

"I told you, I have work…" She said a little upset at the thought.

"Hmm, we can enjoy snow falls here," He replied. "We can ski here and…"

"It barely snows here," She replied, rolling her eyes. "And besides, I don't know how to ski."

"I'll teach you," He said, persuasively.

"You know how to ski?" She asked, impressed by this revelation.

"I know everything." He said proudly, making her smirk.

"Your ego needs its own zip code," She returned, playfully.

"Rightly so," He agreed, unashamed.

"Well, making…" She trailed off when she almost ran into a pole. If he hadn't pulled her to his side at the last minute she could have been injured.

She laughed, embarrassed. "Oh, I didn't see that coming. My bad!"

He smiled, letting go of her hand. "Don't be embarrassed, it takes skill to trip over flat surfaces and run into poles," He joked, making her laugh.

"Okay, Now, I'm embarrassed."

"Don't be! It's cute," He complimented again. "You were saying?" He reminded her of the topic they were discussing.

"I was saying, making plans is futile because it won't snow here," she said, lower lip stuck out in a girlish pout.

"It will," He said with a knowing smile.

"No, it won't." She protested.

"It will. In fact, I think it will snow in a while so we best get you home," He said confidently.

She let out a laugh, "What?"

"I know a thing or two about weather and I'm telling you, it's going to snow." He looked so sure of himself.

"How so?"

He inched closer to her, and she looked at him nervously. He pointed toward the dark clouds, covering the sky.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"Close your eyes," He requested.

"What are you doing?"

"Do you trust me?" He asked, looking deep into her eyes.

"Uhh…" She looked a little uncertain but then she remembered how he helped her just a few moments ago. She could trust him. She nodded, before closing her eyes.

She could feel him, moving behind her, holding their joined hands out toward the sky.

"No peeking," he chuckled. She shivered, either over his warning or his warm breath blowing in her ear and along her neck.

Damon looked up at the sky, chanting a spell to break the clouds in the form of snow. Not every warlock could manipulate weather but he was strong enough to fight nature.

Precious, tiny, glistening, mystical snowflakes descended from the gauzy grayed sky onto them both. She snapped opened her eyes, surprised when she felt the first snowflake.

"Oh, dear, God!" She said, her lips forming into a grin. "How did you know?" she curiously turned to look at him.

He shrugged, not wanting to ruin the moment by lying.

"It's snowing in the Fells." She said excitedly, looking around. "Ohh, my," Her happy face glowed, and she blinked dewy eyes, causing glistening drops to glide down her cheeks.

"You're happy?" He asked, adoring the smile he brought on her face.

"Happy? I'm ecstatic." She replied, spreading her arms, enjoying the snow fall.

"No, no, you're already sick, now let's get you home," He said, his tone filled with concern for her.

"Just a few minutes," She pleases as she looked around in an awe-stricken trance, watching the snow tumbling from sky to earth like promises in a fairy tale. It all looked so magical.

He looked at her, enjoying the transparent emotions on her face, emotions that he managed to bring out, happiness that only he could give her.

"It's so beautiful," she said, looking up into the sky.

"I can't agree more." he breathed in all sincerity, his adoring gaze drinking in the beauty of her tender, limpid eyes.

When she looked at him, she found him looking at her, the same yearning in his eyes, as if he'd been waiting for her for a thousand years.

When his gaze dropped to her lips, she found herself longingly looking at his. Slowly, she leaned closer. He mimicked her, moving closer. Just a few moments away, he could feel the bliss of his soul mate's lips on his. But just before their lips could touch, her phone chimed loudly, breaking their daze.

"Saved by the bell," He said, a bit annoyed.

"Ooh," She stepped a few steps back, coyly, taking out her phone. "Aunt Jenna," She said before she answered. "Yes, I'm on my way… No, I'm not alone, I'm with Damon—Damon who? A friend, Jenna. Okay, I will be home in twenty minutes, yes, I'll take care, bye Jenna," She hung up, looking at him nervously.

"Jenna is worried, we should go," She said, biting her lip.

"Okay," He said, gesturing her to lead the way.

"So, my Queen, about the date?"

"What date?" She teased.

"Elena!" He narrowed his eyes playfully.

"I never agreed. I just said I'll think about it," She countered with a knowing smile.

"Come on, my Queen, give the poor guy a chance," He pouted.

She chuckled, looking at him, "We'll see," she laughed.

"Do I have a chance?" He asked.

"Yes," she replied pompously.

"Yes!" He cheered, making her laugh.

They walked together, talking, making plans. He told her excitedly what he had in mind for their day out. He held her hand when she nearly slipped on the slippery roads.

She shook her head, laughing at her own clumsiness. Up till now, he had saved her from a lot of terrible accidents. She thanked him for that. She asked him if he'd taken the role of her guardian angel.

"Sort off," He replied, smirking as if hiding something.

They were just a street away from her house when a car full of teenage boys passed them, shouting, hooting at her. One of the boys leaned out of the window and threw champagne on Elena, laughing.

"What the fuck?" Damon snarled, looking furiously at the diminutive creatures.

"Need a ride, babe." The one in the front seat offered, slowing down the car.

"Ditch the loser and hope in with us, I'm sure you'll enjoy our company more," Another one of the boys said sarcastically.

"Why you…" Damon moved forward to teach them a lesson for disrespecting his queen but she stopped him. "Ignore them," she pleaded.

"Come on, hot stuff, you don't know what you're missing," A blonde boy shouted out the open window.

That's it. Damon felt the last piece of patience slip from his soul.

"You waste of space! How dare you disrespect my queen?" He growled, striding toward them.

"No. No. Damon, don't!" Elena tried to stop him but he glared at her as if asking her to back off. For a moment, she could've sworn she saw his eyes gleam blood red before turning the usual icy blue. Maybe it was all in her head.

"Did you say something?" The blonde boy stopped the car, looking at them smartly.

"Yes, I did," Damon said flatly.

"Damon, please, let's go, it's okay." Elena pleaded, tugging his arm.

"No, it's not." He hissed.

"Ooh, feisty one, huh, come on boys, let's teach him a lesson, let's show him what are the consequences to mess with our gang," The one who threw wine on Elena growled as he jumped out of the car.

His gang members followed in eager succession.

"No. No. Please," Elena tried to intervene.

"Stay back, Elena," Damon said, serious, composed, not a hint of humor in his face.

His eyes flashed as he looked back at the filthy creatures, his knuckles balled into fists, his jaw clenched so hard she thought he teeth would shatter.

Two of the boys launched on him, but before they could punch him, he held them by their throats and pushed them back with full force.

While he was busy, the other two attacked him from the back, throwing him toward the cold slippery road. He staggered back but regained his balance quickly. He threw a rapid series of violent punches, drawing out blood, breaking bones.

Elena screamed, asking him to stop but he didn't listen.

He then turned to the former two and grabbed the blonde one by his hair, throwing him at the car with full force.

"Please," His friend pleaded nervously, trying to move away. "Don't hurt me," he begged.

"You're the one who threw wine on her, didn't you?" Damon snapped, moving closer like a lion to his prey.

"I—"

Damon grabbed a handful of his hair, dragging him toward Elena, throwing him at her feet.

"Apologize!" He ordered, dangerously.

Elena hissed, backing away. She could see all of them were badly injured and bleeding, including the one at her feet.

Damon sprinted forward, holding his captive's arm and twisting it in an unnatural position. "I said, apologize!"

"I… I'm soo sorry, Elena. Please, tell him to let us go, please…" The boy pleaded, repeatedly.

She snapped from her trance, looking at him with a horrified expression. "Oh my God! Damon, let them go, now!" She ordered angrily.

As soon as the words escaped her lips, he let go of the boy and threw him toward the car. "I'm only letting you lot go because of her or I had a mind of tearing your bodies and feeding your spleen to you. Now go before I change my mind," He growled.

The teen gang moaned and groaned but managed to run away, leaving their car. When he turned back to Elena, she looked terrified of him.

"Elena—"

"What the hell was that?" She said furiously.

"They disrespected you," Damon answered.

"You're an animal. You beat them ruthlessly for such a little…"

"It wasn't a little thing, they disrespected you. I will never tolerate that." He didn't feel ashamed of what he did. Frankly, if it wasn't for her, he would have killed them. The devil never took mercy on filth like the likes of them.

"What is wrong with you? You can't just hurt people like that... this is wrong and illegal. We could have just ignored them. This all didn't need to happen. Violence isn't answer to everything. Just because you have a crush on me you didn't need to…"

"I do not have a crush on you. Don't compare what I feel for you to your stupid teen terms." He replied just as furiously. He didn't understand her sympathy for the men that tried to harm her.

"Feelings? You didn't even know my name three days ago!" She hissed back at him.

"E-L-E-N-A! I know your name! Is that it?"

"Stefan is right. I shouldn't hang out with you. You're crazy, obsessive and an animal." She said, taking a few steps back.

"What?" He hesitated and seemed a little hurt.

"You can't be changed. You've grown like this. I was so stupid to think that…" She trailed off. As much as she was charmed by his bad boy antics, deep in her heart maybe she thought she could change him and make him a better person. Just a few moments ago, she thought she saw the good in him. She thought that if he could work on a construction site one day for her, maybe she could influence him to leave street fighting and illegal activities once and for all but she was wrong. So damn wrong. Violence was in his nature. She couldn't risk her reputation for a guy she barely knew. Thank the lord she saw his true face in time.

"Listen, Elena…"

"No! Stay away from me," She warned. "I don't want to talk to you, I don't want to hang out with you, I don't even want to look at you." She had seen a hint of obsessiveness in his voice for her. She didn't know why it scared her. It was better if she finished everything now.

"Elena, please," Damon pleaded.

"Goodbye, Damon," She said turning, walking away.

..

..

Stefan was sitting in his office, working on his files when the door burst open. His brother entered along with four teenage badly injured boys.

"Sit there," Damon ordered them.

They all duly complied as if magically forced.

"You sent them, didn't you?" Damon growled at his brother.

Stefan smirked.

Just a few moments ago, he had committed his second sin. He had compelled the human boys to mess with Elena in order to provoke Damon. He wanted to show a little glimpse of Damon's true nature to Elena. He knew a girl like her would never approve of violence. She was a part of his own angelic soul. Of course, she was goodness. She would frown upon everything bad.

Now, Damon's reputation in Elena's eyes was ruined.

"I did!" Stefan accepted honestly.

"So, you're going to play dirty huh? I never thought you had it in you." Damon looked a little surprised.

"I told you, I can sin now. It's for the greater good." Stefan replied calmly. "Although my sins are numbered, be assured I'll fight for her and I'll win."

"Hmm." Damon bit his cheek until he could taste blood. "You're on."

..

..

She didn't know why she couldn't sleep tonight. She tossed and turned in bed but sleep cruelly eluded her. The familiar feeling of someone running their hands through her hair wasn't there tonight. Her mind was stuck on the fight she witnessed a few hours ago. It played over and over in the back of her mind, haunting and worrying her.

Damon shouldn't have hurt those boys. Yes, they were stupid and it was wrong of them to treat her like that but it wasn't worth the ruthless beating he gave them. And then the nerve of him to declare that he had feelings for her. They hardly knew each other. She shivered remembering the mad obsessiveness in his voice. It wasn't normal.

She sat up, jumping off her bed. She walked to her closet to take out her parent's photo album. Whenever she was worried, she always turned to them. As she reached to take out the booklet, something fell on the floor. She recognized it. She bent down and picked up the leather jacket. It was Damon's jacket.

She didn't know why but she wore it, breathing in his sweet scent. She felt a sense of unknowing peace. Why? Why did his presence calm her nerves? She shouldn't even think about him. He was a bad boy. He was the forbidden territory. She was a good girl. She shouldn't have anything to do with men like him.

"I know you and mom would never approve of him," She said quietly, looking down at her parent's picture.

"You and mom despised violence and he's…" She stopped for a moment then chose her words carefully, "It's not like he's a bad guy. He can be kind and civil and when he wants to be but he's so emotional, he beat up those boys for such a small thing. I mean we could've ignored them, I always do, he didn't have to break their bones. What if they hurt him? What if they called the cops? What if he gets arrested now?" She walked back to her bed, holding the album.

"And the way he looks at me, it's like he would eat me up," She said making a face. "He's not a good person, mom. He fights illegal street fights for money. But you know, he did something good for me today. He worked at a construction site for me, I… you know for a minute I thought maybe I can change him, you know, make him a better person. He seems so lost, I just wanted to help him," She paused.

She traced her father's picture with the pad of her fingers. "Am I giving up to soon? He likes me a lot. He respects me. My opinion matters to him, I can see that - do you think I can make him a better person?"

As she thought this, her eyes fell on the stack of cash he had given her today. He barely knew her but he helped her immediately when she told him how in dire need she was of some money. It was wrong of her to give up on him just so soon. He wasn't all bad. He was redeemable. He was just lost. She could guide him to light, right? To goodness?

She could show him how to live an honorable and respectful life.

"I guess I know my answer," She said in a low voice. "But how will I find him? I told him to go away, I don't even know where he lives?"

She wrapped her arms around herself, liking the feel of his jacket against her skin. She prayed he would come tomorrow to her office. She smiled imagining seeing him pouting with another injury and asking her to fix him up again.

"Queen!" She murmured as she fell on bed, still wearing the jacket, suddenly feeling comfortable again. "I'm a Queen."

..

..

"What are you doing in the lair?" Klaus asked. "Aren't you supposed to be with the Petrova girl?"

Damon had conjured her form into thin air, looking interestingly at her.

"We had a fight. She is mad at me because I beat up some boys who were annoying us," He answered, listlessly "I thought I should give her some distance," he lied.

"Ohh, fine." Klaus said, cringing at the thought of a human having so much control over his friend's emotions. "So what happened?"

"Stefan tricked me," Damon snorted.

"The angel tricked the devil, oh dear Satan, what has the world come to?" Klaus fell on the chair, in mocking dramatics.

"Don't worry, he can't win. I have sent my minions to find out his weakness. He keeps saying he's working for the greater good. He obviously has an agenda with my Queen, I need to find that," Damon said, lost in a thought as he watched illusion Elena wear his jacket.

"Elena will fall for me, Stefan can never win her," He said more to himself than Klaus.

"You know, mate, I don't see the meaning of waiting around here for her verdict. Why don't we bring her, lock her here in the palace? She will make a fuss but in the end, she'll have to surrender when she finds no way out," Klaus said, already thinking of how he would feed on the Queen's sufferings. Besides, to him, Elena was just a diminutive human, with no purpose other than to keep his friend entertained. Mates gave you peace and carnal pleasure. To him, a mate was one's property. Who even cared what they felt as long as they were bound to you. "Cade has given you a free hand, we don't need her to be willing, we could force her to accept you," Klaus offered.

"I will do no such thing, I want her to love me and love doesn't work that way," Damon replied, frowning even at the thought. The thought of having her all to himself was appealing but not at the cost of her hating him. He wouldn't be able to stand that. He already felt horrible because he had displeased her tonight. He had punished himself for that. He decided to stay away from the peace she gave him. "And she has a life outside of me, I can't disturb that," Damon added firmly.

"Since when do you, the devil, care what she wants?" Klaus narrowed his eyes. "She's just a human girl, she doesn't have any say…"

"She does have a say, Klaus. She is my Queen, Queen of the king of all evil. And don't refer to her as 'just a human girl'. She is a blessing to me, respect her as such!" He said in a cold tone.

"I see you're a love-struck fool."

"I am not in love with her. I can't love. But she's my mate and as that, I respect her," He said, his voice void of all emotions.

"You have deceived so many souls, Devil, that now you can deceive yourself too," Klaus let out a chuckle. "Focus on the mission, Cade won't wait forever. He helped you save your mate. You had better give him what you promised, by hook or crook, to return the favor or else the consequences would be terrible."

..

..

 **Two days later**

She was worried. Damon still hadn't shown up once. She felt guilty now that maybe she was too harsh on him. In a way, he tried to save her, protect her honor, but she freaked out.

In a hidden corner of her heart, she missed him. She missed his presence. She missed the mysteriously calm affect he had on her. She missed his care, his concern.

"Elena?" Stefan popped her thought bubble, turning his attention to her.

"Yes, doctor," she blinked, confused for a moment.

"Can you give me that file?" He asked as he scribbled on his pad. She gave the file he needed and sat back on her chair. "You seem lost, everything okay?" He asked curiously.

"Yes, doctor… just a little friend issue." She said, running her fingers through her hair.

"Not that gangster-," he started to say.

"No, not him, I… we didn't even meet after that day," she said indifferently, hiding her sadness.

He tried hard to fight a smile but somehow a look of glee surfaced his face. "I am glad, you're keeping your distance from him. As much as I knew Grayson and Miranda, I know they would've wanted you to stay away from him," He said, softly.

She nodded, a bit uncomfortable with his statement, and quickly getting back to her work.

He looked at her thoughtfully. He wanted to mark his impression on her before he asked her out. He knew he had charmed her and she would never refuse him if he asked her out. There was a winter gala coming up and he had planned to be her date. It was just a matter of time.

"Elena, can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything, Stefan." She said, smiling.

"Would you mind doing some over time today? I have lots of work and I could use a little help." He was just making an excuse to spend time with her.

"Sure, doctor." Innocently she stepped right into his plan.

..

..

Damon was furious beyond any measure. He had just gone to do an errand for Cade and when he returned he found Elena in Stefan's office. To top it off, Stefan had cast a spell which countered his magic and restricted him to the point of prohibiting him to see what was going on in there. He was in a corporate office, influencing the corrupt official to sign some illegal documents. He needed more power and for that, he needed to feed.

"Damon! Damon!" He heard Klaus shout as he burst through the office doors. The guards didn't stop him so Damon deduced that he must have compelled them to let him in.

"Go on, sign it, you'll be rewarded for it, you can buy the new luxury car," He kept murmuring in the man's ear. "What happened, Klaus?"

"Queen… she…"

"What happened to Elena? She okay?" He demanded, leaving the confused man in a trance-like state.

"Yes, she's fine. She went downtown to the fight club looking for you," Klaus informed Damon proudly.

"Fight club?" Damon looked confused.

"You told her you're a street fighter at the downtown fight club." Klaus reminded him.

"Oh! Oh- fuck!" Damon groaned, realization striking him as he facepalmed. "That place is dangerous for her, they're all sort of people, why the hell would she go there? Ugh" He growled as he waved a hand in front of the man, making him forget all that happened in his office.

"I'm going down there, you make this idiot sign the file," Damon said as he picked up his jacket.

"Where are you going?" Klaus asked curiously, already suspecting the answer.

"Fight club," Damon called back.

"Mate, by foot?"

"Oh, right," Damon nodded as he clicked his fingers and disappeared in thin air.

..

..

He appeared in the fight club and chanted a spell to manipulate human minds into thinking he was a regular fighter in the club. He then picked a room and waited for Elena to arrive.

Just in a short while, he could hear her voice. He conjured her form in thin air, sighing at the sight of her. "Excuse me, do you know where Damon Salvatore is?" She asked a bulky guy at the door.

"Yeah, he's in that room getting ready for a fight. Who are you, beautiful?"

"I… never mind," She said nervously as she walked past him and into the room. Damon clicked his fingers, vanishing her illusion form.

"Damon?" She whispered, taking a deep breath at the sight of him.

Oh, how he missed talking to her.

"Miss Elena?" He turned around, faking a surprised look.

"You… where had you been?" She asked as she moved closer toward him, a worried look on her face.

"I have been around." He said, truthfully. He had never left her, honestly. He had been in his invisible state, looking out for her. Just last night, he had annoyed her while she was doing her assignment when he kept tucking her hair out that she had put behind her ear. He had lulled her to sleep when she had a nightmare again. He was always there.

"You never came to the hospital again," She complained.

"I thought you never wanted to see me," He said with a knowing smirk.

"I said that because I was angry," She replied, furious at his light behavior. Didn't he miss her? Because she sure missed him.

"Why did you miss me?" It was like he read her thoughts.

She looked up into his eyes, her cheeks red.

He moved closer and she stepped back. Suddenly, she realized he was shirtless. The sweat glistened on his toned, athletic body and made him appear like the most delicious man she had ever laid eyes on. Even though Elena tried to not ogle him too noticeably, she couldn't ́ help herself but eyeing him carefully. She watched a single bead of sweat making its way down his forehead to his chest and further down his abs until was gone from her sight.

Her eyes stopped on a fairly bad bruise. "Oh, you're hurt again," She said, looking at his shoulder. "Do you have first aid box?" She asked in her nurse voice.

He had no idea if they did but he wanted her to come closer to him, feel her warmth, so he clicked his finger and it magically appeared on the back shelf.

"There," He pointed.

"Sit here," She ordered. "I'll fix you up."

She went to the shelf and picked up the kit She walked back to him, every step graceful. She pushed him slightly onto the seat before she turned to set up her tools. She cleaned his wound and took out an ointment. She leaned closer to him, her long hair falling on his face, intoxicating him with their fragrance.

"If you were hurt, why didn't you come to me to fix you up?" She asked as she layered a bandage over his shoulder.

"Because you said you don't want to ever see me."

"I didn't mean it, okay. I was rightfully angry, you shouldn't have done what you did, it was wrong. But I don't know why I was worried about you, I thought you fell under the bus or something, you…"

"You care about me." He said pleasantly surprised.

She looked a little shy but she nodded. "Yes, and I didn't know where you lived. You shouldn't have just disappeared like that," she scolded.

"I went away because you asked me to," He reminded her.

"I didn't mean it okay."

"Then what do you want?" He asked.

"Look, I want to clear this misunderstanding. I understand that you were trying to protect me that day but you shouldn't have beat them like that. You broke their bones. They could have filed a case against you, and you could have gone to jail for that. Also, this is not how civil people live. You can't just go on hurting people. It's wrong and if you have a bit of respect for me you'll promise you won't let your temper get the worst of you?" She asked, softly, all the while holding his hand.

"I'll try," the words slipped out before he could control them.

"And I'm sorry for the mean things I said to you that day," She said sincerely. "If there is anything I can do to make up…"

"I want a kiss—on the lips and a date," He didn't even let her finish her apology.

She swallowed a lump in her throat. "A kiss and a date?"

"Well, many dates and many kisses but let's start somewhere," He said, mischievously.

She stood up, putting the first aid box on the shelf. When she turned back to him, she found him standing close to her, too close. Nervous, she tried to move past him but he placed his hands on either side of her on the wall, making it impossible for her to leave.

She looked up, nervously.

"I need an answer, Queen."

She bit her lip. "You really think this will work, there is no future, you break bones, I fix them, we're literally polar opposites."

"It's destiny." He replied, wiggling his brows. "You and I—match made in heaven," Or Hell, he said to himself.

She let out a nervous sigh, and then finally nodded. "Okay, then, let's try this."

"Hmm. Now, what about my kiss." He asked, his gaze fixed on her lips.

Casting her gaze down for a moment before facing his, she drew in a deep breath. His expression was nothing less than entirely inviting, and with every shred of courage she had left, she moved closer to him, letting her body press lightly against his. She brushed her lips against his, lightning zinged through him, and he held her in his arms. Carefully, he took her mouth with passion, playing with her lips, teasing her with tiny licks of his tongue until her hands came up and tangled in his hair, urging him to come closer.

He had never felt something like that before. Sure, he had slept with sirens for carnal pleasure but this kiss surpassed everything that he had ever experienced or conjured in his wildest dreams. Gently their lips danced over each other. She opened her mouth, and his tongue swooped inside. As the kiss deepened, the sunset and the evening stars started to show themselves, and the world was for once right, even in the most wrong ways, everything made sense.

This was want and need. He wanted her for eternity and needed her to breath. Maybe this was love. Or maybe it was only a dangerous obsession. Whatever it was, it was moving like a runaway train and there was no stopping it, for now, the Devil was addicted.

* * *

**Beta credits to JessicaRae for being such amazing beta. As usual, you've done such great job. Thank you so much!

*** _Thank you all for your support, your kind reviews and your encouraging words._

I really hope you like this chapter because there is going to be a major turn of events after this. Do give me your kind feedback. I'll be eagerly waiting for your thoughts on this. Do you think the devil can fall in love? Or is he already in love?

**Scarlett2112 has the most brilliant story 'Eyes without a face' up. It's a page-turner and a must read! If you're not reading it yet, do check it out!

Have a safe week. Xoxo


	7. The Devil's Fall

_Dear Readers,_

 _Sorry for the long break. Life is tough these days to me. I want to thank you for being patient and for your kind and beautiful feedback, you don't know but you guys motivate me to write more. This story is alive because of all of you. Thank you, DE fandom!_

 _Love_

 _~May_

* * *

Chapter 7: 'The Devil's Fall'

Since a week, it had been his routine that every day he would walk her to the hospital and then walk her back home. She had grown fond of him more and more. She didn't know why but even when he wasn't around she felt his presence. She would be thinking about him all day and would be counting down seconds to see him. She found herself drawn more and more to him and no matter how much she tried she couldn't seem to shake him off. She was even considering to take him on the annual Winter Dance as her date. This was so unlike her. They haven't even gone on a date yet.

As usual, when she finished her work, Damon was waiting for her downstairs. Stefan was standing in the hallway. She could see the disapproving look in his eyes. Lately, he had been spending a lot of time with her during their work hours. In a way, it was unavoidable since somehow she was assigned to assist him this month.

"Elena," He said, holding her arm.

"Yes, Stefan,"

"I know, it's… I know, I am no one to stop you it's your personal life but, I don't like him with you, look at him, he's clearly from the down town slum, think about your reputation, I don't think Jenna and…"

"Stefan,"

"Yes,"

"You were right, you're no one to stop me," She said, a little strictly. She didn't know why but she didn't like it when people looked down on him, just because he wasn't from a well-off family and his rough look. He wasn't bad. He was just lost. All he needed was a little love and then… he would be fine, right?

Lost in her thoughts, she walked to Damon. His face lit up when he saw her. "Good evening." He offered her his hand.

She returned his smile, taking his hand and descended down the last few steps.

"I'm sorry I made you wait," She said, adjusting a few files in her hands.

"The sight is worth the wait," He said as his eyes traveled up her figure.

His hand went back to his back pocket and pulled out a rose, offering it to her. It was a tradition now. He always offered her a white rose every time they met. As usual, she took it, smiling, and put it in the pocket of her bag, mentally making a reminder that she would put it in the water-filled china vase, she bought solely for the roses he gifted.

He took a couple of files from her hands, holding it for her.

"Let's go," She said.

He held out the door open for her, gesturing for her to go first.

As they walked, she told him her work stories and about her upcoming college assignments that she was stressing about. He nodded, listening. Not that he already didn't know.

"Damon, you haven't gone back to the ring after that day, right?" She asked, suspiciously.

"No," He said truthfully. "I have decided to not fight for a while. I promised you that I'll try to stay away from violence and I don't break my promises." He said, earnestly.

"Good," She said, happily. She was glad that her words held meaning and importance to him.

He let out a chuckle at her proud expressions. The sweet little girl was trying to reform a devil. If only she knew who she was dealing with.

"Elena, can I have your number?" He asked.

"Why so?"

"You know, the usual, sending you my Shakespearian poetry at night, which you won't probably understand but you'd picture me as an intelligent person with fine taste but deep down you'd know that I don't know the meaning either. And if sometimes, if you're in mood, I can send you my nudes but you'll need to-"

She shook her head, laughing, "Okay, stop, stop, I get it, fine, I'll give you my number, but don't you dare send me your nudes,"

"I don't understand, I thought you're attracted to me," He said as if she insulted him.

"I… what?"

"You like me, don't you?" He asked, looking into her eyes, studying her intently.

"Yeah… sort of…"

"What do you mean sort of?" He countered.

"Are you really gonna make me say it?" He felt his heart tug at her words. He adored her shyness, her hesitation. Her modesty was like Heaven's ether, too pure to be perceived, not fatuous at all. He didn't understand, if he was the devil then why did her purity attracted him so much?

"Yes, of course, I would prefer if you're more open to me,"

"Yes, Damon, I like you," She said, flustered, "Happy?"

"Then you should like me if I am shirtless, no? You would like to see me naked?"

She didn't think before words escaped her mouth. "Of course," Her eyes widened. What did she just say? Since when did she become so vile? She gasped, covering her mouth.

"Uhh! So, you do want to—," Before he could say anything, she pushed a hand against his mouth. "I didn't mean like…"

He let out a chuckle.

"You're such a… You're so,"

"What?" He tried to say through her hand.

She pulled her hand back, rolling her eyes, walking away, restraining to smile a shy smile.

"Sexy. Hot. Irresistible." He followed her.

"No. No and no."

"Then why do you want to see me naked?" He said a bit louder than he intended. A couple of bystanders turned, hearing his words.

She glared, feigning fake anger. "Shh…"

"Sorry," He said with an apologetic look, "Why do you want to see me naked?" He whispered.

"I never said that. Stop putting words in my mouth,"

 _I rather put something else._

"You said that-," He countered but she turned to him, pointing an accusing finger. "How can you look so innocent when you're such a devil!"

He cocked his head to a side, smirking.

"Because I'm one,"

She rolled her eyes again. He always managed to make her flustered mess. It wasn't like she didn't like it. She enjoyed it just as much. While her mind was trying to formulate an adequate answer, he gazed into her eyes, confusing her further.

She turned her eyes away, the look in his eyes always overwhelmed her and she couldn't hold the gaze for long

"You know, you're very beautiful when you blush…" He said, earnest, earning another shy smile. "And I like it more when I'm the one who makes you blush,"

Her hands reached to her crimson cheek, "I'm not blushing,"

"Yes, you're." He insisted.

She avoided his eyes, shy of the intensity they held.

"I think you should stop with flirty comments and that eye thing that you do." She warned, with a playful anger.

"What eye-thing?" He said, his smile was mischievous yet pleasant.

"Ugh!" She moved past him, walking down the street, "I'll give you my number,"

He sighed, "Thank you," he added, "I have changed my mind, I promise that I shall only use it for very meaningful conversations,"

"Like?" She asked, even though she knew his answer would not be straight.

"Dirty talk."

"Damon!" She smacked his arm lightheartedly, "You're impossible."

"You're walking into a pole, you clumsy girl," He pulled her towards himself, she giggled, embarrassed. "You must think I'm so silly, I'm not always like this,"

"So, silly around me only?" he smirked

"That wasn't a compliment to feed your ego, " She snapped.

He shrugged, "Well I have this effect on you, you can't deny that now, can you?"

She blinked as he drew nearer and nearer. Her heart pounded fast, her pulse kicked into high gear.

"What if I do?" She breathed.

"Then you'd be lying and you don't lie, Elena," He caressed her face, untucking that one curly strand behind her ear.

"I…" She had never really thought about it. Her parents had always strictly forbidden her to stay away from sins.

"Do you know the power you hold over me? The spells that your eyes cast? The allure of your very being?"

"I don't know what to say," She mumbled.

"I need a sign, I need to know, you want this too," He seemed sincere.

She looked at him for a second and then inched closer. He was half expecting her to kiss him again, before she pulled out his phone from his jacket's pocket, punching in her number, saving her contact before planting a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I said this whole speech and that's your response," He said with a poker face. "I hate this generation," He mumbled under breath.

She smiled lightly moving away, walking up to the porch of her house.

"Goodnight grumpy," She said, not turning back.

He moved a step back with a deep sigh, "Goodnight, Queen,"

"Elena, what about the date you promised me?" He added.

She let out a smirk, "Tomorrow, six sharp,"

"Done, you better not ditch me, I take cheek kisses very seriously,"

She closed the door leaning against it and sighed deep, her heart was racing.

"You okay?" Jenna asked, perplexed.

"Yeah, fine," She said with a wide smile.

..

..

Stefan had been waiting in the lounge, quietly, praying to light and heavens. He could see her slip away from her. The darkness was surrounding her and he couldn't protect her from it. He loved her in earnest and prayed from the heavens to make her his. Lately, it seemed that his prayers were going unheard.

"You called?" Lexi, the chief of the cult of goodness, a soft voice broke his trance.

"My Lady," He did a low bow, a respect for his chief.

She smiled a kind smile, gesturing him to raise.

"You seem bothered? Is something wrong?"

He nodded, not lying.

"You already know why I'm worried, my lady," He replied.

"Yes, I do," Lexi replied, stepping toward a window. "We're worried too but we've trust in you. The girl shouldn't, in any case, submit to darkness, we can't let those wretched creatures have her."

"I know. I know. But, she's so attracted to him, she doesn't even look at me, I try so much to get noticed." He said, biting his lip, "It hurts to see her with him. Sometimes I think maybe, she isn't… she isn't my mate,"

Lexi took a deep breath, thinking over his words. "Stefan, do you not believe that the heavens, the light, that made her only for you? She's your fate. No matter how strong the allure of darkness is, it's the rightness that always wins."

"Fate can be changed with the power of love. I fear the love my brother has for her. He'll fight the world for her."

"He loves her?" Lexi seemed shocked.

"I think so. He's been spending every second with her, he's fallen for her, he doesn't know that but he has. How could he not? She is made to love." Stefan mumbled.

"Nevertheless, we can't allow him to have her. She was promised to you. She is yours. Also, Devil can't have her. It would be against the balance of nature. We promised the girl's parents to protect the girl at any cost from that wretched creature of hate. We can't, under any circumstances, break our vow. It would be a grave sin. We have to honor our vow in any case, or we'll be shunned from goodness forever."

"I don't see how? I'm bound by rules, I have used two of my four sins. He's free to do as he wills. I don't know what I can…"

"You said he loves her, right?"

"Yes,"

"But he's not allowed to love," Lexi said, lost in a deep thought. "We have to make him confess it. He'll be punished for it for sure. Chief of darkness would imprison him in the valley of restless souls. Use your third sin then. Make her forget him." Lexi suggested. She was always the wise one.

Stefan nodded, thoughtfully. His third sin would be deceit.

..

..

She looked at the watch. Damn it, she was almost late. She had to get ready for her date. Her phone beeped and she bit her lower lip, she had a feeling it was him. "So whipped,"

She checked the message and nearly screamed. "Project Due! No ! No! No!"

A sudden wave of sadness passed through her at the thought of not seeing him, she clenched her fist and went upstairs.

The devil was lying on her bed, invisible to her eyes, arms crossed on his chest, "Hey Baby,"

She threw her bag on the bed and stomped her foot, he sat up, "Woah! Did you just stomp your foot? Are you upset?"

She threw herself on the bed, "Every time!"

"What happened?" He frowned, was it something he did? Who upset her? Why was she sad? He stroked her face, his fingers light as a feather. She closed her eyes as if she knew he was touching her, but of course, that wasn't possible, to her he felt just like a gust of soft wind.

She took out her phone calling him, his phone beeped, he took it out of course she couldn't hear him.

"Hey," She said with somewhat dismay.

"Hello, my Queen. To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing your voice? " He smoothed his voice, sitting in front of her, enjoying her nervous antics.

"I-uh-I am so sorry but some project came up, I have to delay our date,"

He frowned, of course, Stefan.

"Nope, you promised me a date, don't do this I have already dressed up,"

"I don't want to, Damon, honestly, but I have to."

"Ugh, no," He sighed

"Damon, I'm sorry,"

He understood that she was passionate about her work but he was not in any case allowing Stefan to snatch his time.

He interrupted, "You can do your little project at my place, we can easily manage that, I promise to not distract you with my charm,"

She shook her head, "Okay, I surrender,"

"Good, coffee, dinner and studying! Got it, we can go out some other time,"

"Ahan!"

He untuked a strand behind her ear, "Okay?"

"Yes," She said, biting her lip in a mix of nervousness and excitement.

"I'll pick you up in a while. Dress sexy for me," He said as he hung up.

As soon as the call dropped she rushed to her dresser to look for something decent to wear. She had no idea why but she felt as if this was her first date. She was so excited.

She took out a light blue dress, checking herself in the mirror.

"Nah, you'll look like you're trying too hard." He whispered to her, standing behind her. He always loved playing with her like this. Sometimes they would spend hours and hours to decide on the color of her dresses.

"I'm trying too hard," She said, shaking her head, dropping the dress into a pile before searching for another one.

"Red?" She thought to herself.

"Oh, it's hot. You'd be cruel to him if you wear this. He would be counting seconds before he could take it off you. How would you study then?" He said, smirking.

"What am I thinking?" She said to herself, shying at the dirty thoughts of getting into bed with him. Not that she hasn't thought before. She was still pure. Sex seemed sacred experience to her that she only wanted to share with the man she loved. Did she love him? No, not yet. But she could.

She pulled out a black dress with a belt around its waist and leather jacket. It looked casual and sexy.

"Hmm, not bad," He said, impressed. "Wear this! You'll look sinfully beautiful."

"This is it." Elena nodded, approving the dress.

..

..

Elena hurriedly brushed her hair. She could hear him talking to aunt Jenna. He was assuring her that he would bring Elena back before curfew and that he had good intentions. She hurtled out of the room, almost running into the door. She quickly walked down the stairs before Jenna could scare him away with her strict interrogation.

"Here, she is," Jenna said, "Have a great time and be safe." She added as she left the couple alone.

When he saw her in the dress that secretly he selected, he did a low whistle and moved his hand in a circle indicating for her to spin. She stood back and gave a twirl, her face radiant.

"Good?" She asked.

"Love it," He replied.

"We'll be going on your bike," She said, as they walked out of the door.

"Yes, I was too tired to walk." He answered, " I hope it's okay,"

"No, it's fine." She tried to seem confident but her nervous tone gave her away.

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall," He said, smirking as he offered her the helmet. She mumbled something about her hairdo before she wore it. He mimicked her.

"I know,"

He sat down on the saddle, a huge grin beginning to form on his face as the engine made its own kind of music. While he put on the gauntlets, she sat behind him, holding his arm lightly. He pushed the bike off its stand and carefully guided it to the road.

"Have you ever ridden a bike before?" He asked, curious.

"No, well, one time with you but not before. I'm not much fond of bikes…" She answered truthfully.

"Why?"

"I don't know. They didn't much appeal me. Maybe because they're dangerous."

"Come on, if it isn't dangerous, how would it be fun?" He asked, rolling his eyes.

The soft wind whistled past them, playing with her hair. She shook her head, slightly, smiling. She could understand why he liked playing with danger.

A bike zoomed past them, a couple of boys hooting. She could sense that they have entered the suspicious part of The Fells, downtown, an area every respected family of the Fells avoided. She had only been here once when she had

"Queen, have you ever witnessed a bike race?" He asked.

"Uhh—No,"

"Well, then, let's do something different," He said as he let slowly started to let go of the clutch.

"Oh, no, no."

"Please," He pleaded. "Take a chance, trust me you'll have fun,"

"But, I…" She said, clutching to his shoulders.

"I promise you, you'll be fine,"

She thought about it. They'd been hardly any time in her life when she had stepped out of her good girl comfort zone. Her mom had always warned her against men like him. She had always told her that good girls stayed away from bad boys or they get influenced. Well, he was certainly influencing her with his don't-give-crap-logic. One little race couldn't be that bad. It's not like anyone in the town would know.

She wrapped her arms tightly around Damon's waist, shutting her eyes. "Let's do this,"

Her words were the permission he needed. The biked jerked forward and blasted off at full speed. She let out a whimper of excitement. Slowly, she opened her eyes, watching the dazzling street lights blur past them. It almost seemed like a dream.

He took a deep breath when he felt her snuggle closer to his neck, her hand clutching to his jacket, holding on for dear life. His one hand left the handle and seized her hand, and kissed it, holding it close to where his dead heart laid.

A squeak of excitement escaped her lips. She was truly alive.

..

..

After the adventurous bike ride to his home, she had been in a very pleasant mood. She had been chatty and happy. She set her books on the carpeted floor and worked on her project while he made her coffee and dinner.

He liked how immersed she was in her work. She was very passionate and he adored that about her. Out of habit, he sat close to her and untucked a strand of her hair, captive behind her ear.

"Aha!" She warned him as she scribbled down reports.

"Sorry," He said, a little flustered when he realized he wasn't in his invisible form.

He let her do her work in peace after that, sitting in front of her, pretending to read a book as his eyes stole glances at her face.

She was almost done by the time, she caught him looking at her.

"You know, how would I work, if you… if you keep looking at me like that?" She said, putting her notepad to a side.

"Like what?" He said, smirking, knowing what she meant.

"You know," She feigned anger.

"It's your fault, you didn't need to be so pretty," he said as if proving a fact. Her ordinarily cool cheeks burned with a rich rose-color. Hiding her shyness, her eyes remain downcast, her lips pursed, determined not to give away the smile.

"Can you pass my coffee?" She mumbled.

"Can you look for a better excuse to turn the conversation? " He smirked passing her a warm mug to her.

"What is this about again?" She laughed nervously.

"I want to know," He inched a little closer.

"Know what?" She rose a brow. Now, he was sitting a few inches away from her, with only a file between them.

"I know that you feel for me, your heart wants me just as much but your mind stops you, why is that? Why are you hesitating? Why are you stopping yourself from feeling what I feel?"

She bit her lip, "It's nothing,"

"I know when you lie,"

She hesitated awhile before she finally spoke, "There is this… something about you that… consumes me, I feel like once I let you in, I won't be able to push you out again,"

"Good," He seemed in a mix of awe and shock. "I never want to be pushed out," He inched closer, she never knew when he removed the file from her lap and placed to a side.

"I've never felt something so intense before," She confessed.

"Me neither,"

"But, this isn't right,"

"Why?" He asked, his eyes vulnerable.

She reached hand to hold his, her eyes soft, " You're a great person, Damon but-"

"But," he huffed

"Hey, listen to me," He focused on her when she requested, " I can't go on this fast emotional rollercoaster you want to take me on with you, I've lost so much a year ago, I just want to stop for a while,"

"I can understand that, but don't you think you're being hypocrite,"

"Excuse me," She seemed offended.

"Aren't you the one who always preaches that life is a gift and we should treat it as such, then why are you stopping yourself from living it to fullest. I know you wanted a new life ever since your parents passed away. You don't want to mourn anymore, you want to live, don't you?"

She shook her head, "There is a difference between enjoying your life and being rash with it. I can't be impulsive like you and just take a leap. No matter how good it feels, how great it is with you, it's clear as daylight that we both aren't anything like each other, we come from two different worlds, the things I have on my adventure list are on your daily do's, the things I call danger is a piece of cake for you, I can't just take a big jump like this, we'll be toxic, we'll crash and burn,"

"Wait, Is this about bike racing thing?" He cocked his head to a side, reading her eyes perfectly, "Oh you silly girl. How do I forget that you are such a scaredy cat."

She frowned at the name but decided to ignore it, "It's just one more thing I wouldn't do,"

"But you liked it," He rose a brow.

"Yes, but not on a daily basis, I know that you want a confession out of me, but just tell me, how can a person like me afford to lose anyone again, I have already lost my parents..." She bit on her lower lip.

"Elena, you can't expect to live forever, now can you, danger is a part of life,"

"But I want to stay away from danger and more pain," She said stubbornly, "I can't… I just can't bear more pain. If I let myself feel for you and if something happened to you… I wouldn't know how to live."

"So that's it, you'll never come out of your safe zone, Queen, that's not how life works. People die in the comfort of their beds too you know, you can't just stop loving and living because you don't want to lose anyone. " He sandwiched her hand between his. "You have to embrace danger it to enjoy life, you have to look it in the eye, challenge it. Unless you stay locked in a room you would never know what this world has to offer, being frail only welcomes fear, and I would prefer dying of a bike–truck crash rather than fear, at least I'll have fun,"

She swallowed thick, "and you'd do that to yourself knowing that I was waiting for you."

"You'd do it, knowing that there is someone who wouldn't be able to bear it, there is someone who started living again because of you," She asked, cupping a side of his face.

"What?" Another shock. He never knew he influenced her like that. Come to think of it, she was indeed changing. She was smiling and laughing more. She didn't cry every night anymore.

She sighed deeply, seeking for courage to confess, "I feel alive around you, I feel like I can laugh again, like I don't have to mourn over people I've lost, you're right, I do feel something for you, but I can't allow myself to fall freely, because I'm scared. Losing you would kill me, "

He pressed her hand, secretly ecstatic by her confession, She hadn't announced love but she was close, "You won't ever lose me , I promise,"

"What do you mean?" she said slowly.

"I have a reason to live now that I mean something to someone, I wouldn't dare be impulsive now that I know someone is waiting for me," He said, earnest. It was a strange warm feeling. For the first time someone wanted him, someone needed him, just as much as he did. Even the darkness and magic didn't seem much appealing. "But, promise me, you meant every word you said?" He asked, vulnerable again. He felt overwhelmed. He had never felt such emotions.

"Yes," She breathed. "I have never felt more alive. When I'm with you, it feels like time stops, and it's just you and I in the world. You make me happy. It feels like you're… you're the one I had been looking for,"

She had so much to say but her words remained unsaid when his lips crashed on hers. He kissed her hungrily, with a groan, as he moved his lips against her mouth with vigor, before pushing his tongue inside her parted lips so they could taste each other again and again.

His hands slid up her long thighs, over her tights and pressed against the smoothness of her back. Every stroke of her lips against his awakened pure need in his veins. All he wanted was her mouth on his, his hands on her body and her skin against his.

His hands slid past her arms to her hands, and smoothly flattened their palms against each other, interlocking his fingers with hers. Their entwined hands rested on their either sides as he slowly laid her down on the carpeted floor and covered her body with his.

His lips left hers and inched down to her neck, nibbling and sucking while she panted, trying to catch her breath. He stopped for a second, looking into her eyes, "How do I make you believe this, I've never wanted to live more than I want to know, I suddenly want to be the better man for you , I want you to look at me and feel that warmth I feel when I see you, my Queen, I don't know what this is? Madness? Obsession or love? But I'll do anything for you,"

"Love?" She asked, shocked.

"Maybe," He hesitated, "Maybe, I'm in love, I don't know but it feels like… like you're the air I breathe. Life feels meaningless without you. I want you to live, I need you to breath, I don't know, it's crazy, I feel crazy," He'd never felt more nervous.

She let out a soft smile and reached up to capture his lips in a kiss. He sighed a sigh of relief. She accepted him.

Was this how it felt to be loved? Was this how love felt? It was such a warm beautiful feeling, like sunshine and summer rain and all things he used to hate before. He wanted it to last forever. He wanted it to never end. That was it. The devil was in love.

..

..

He was smiling to himself when he dropped her off. They had even made out at the door of her house, he just couldn't get tired of kissing her. But as soon as the door closed, just when he was about to turn invisible and hop back in his Queen's room to sleep with her, a ball of fire, appeared in the thin air and hit him straight in the stomach. Darkness and cold surrounded him.

..

..

"Look, who we have here?" Klaus sneered when he woke up from what felt like a long sleep. When he tried to move, a scream escaped his lips. Every part of his skin burned as if someone has set him on fire.

"What the fuck?" He snarled, looking around. It seemed as if he was tied.

"He's awake from his beauty sleep. Took him long enough. Of course, it took him much time to recover, the love-stricken devil's power had been weakening and he hardly knows." Cade said, coldly, looking at him with such anger like he had never witnessed before.

"My Lord, I…"

"Quiet!" His voice boomed. "You diminutive creature,"

He clicked his fingers and Damon felt like a thousand sharp knives pierced his skin, attempting to peel it off. He shouted in pain. "My lord… my lord, I don't understand, what did I do to deserve your wrath?"

"You broke the rule, the biggest most important rule of our cult, you disrespected your vow and spat on the face of your lord."

"No, I would never-," He said as if insulted.

"Now, you're lying to me, your master?" Cade growled as he waved his hand and boiling hot water poured down on him.

"My lord, I would never,"

"Kill him, Klaus, he's no use to us," Cade ordered.

"My Lord… please, I don't understand,"

"You creature of filth, you fell in love with her," Cade screamed.

"I…I—" For the first time, he could neither lie nor deny. "So, what if I do?" He said, confidently. "It won't tamper with your plans, my lord, I-,"

"Listen to me, you filth, you are hatred and you can't love. Love is for the weak. And we don't tolerate weakness. We kill it." Cade spat every word, his eyes burning with rage. "And to answer your question, yes, it will tamper with my plans, you see, your mate will serve a big purpose to our cult. I would not allow your pathetic feelings to get in my way,"

"What do you want with my mate?" Damon demanded, not afraid of the punishment he would get for questioning the chief.

A fire erupted from the ground and burned his feet. He hissed in pain until Klaus put the fire out.

"See, it's already giving you the power to question me, what would I do when it makes you courageous enough to fight me?" He whispered but it was audible. He was aware that truest love was like a consuming fire, it destroyed everything that got in its way and he couldn't allow that.

"Devil, tell me, the Lord of Darkness or Elena?" He questioned.

 _Elena._

"Darkness." Damon lied but Cade knew the real answer.

"Lie again," He chuckled. "Klaus put him in the valley of miseries, in the dark well, he's to stay there until he squashes these feelings inside him. Imprisonment till my direct permission to release him. Complete starvation with punishments." Cade announced.

"No. No. Cade, my lord. Stefan would take advantage of that, he would-,"

"I want him to take her," Cade replied, quietly.

"What? But then she wouldn't join our cult and your plan would fail," Damon tried desperately.

"Don't worry about my plan, Devil, I never fail." He said as he turned.

Damon fought and kicked to release himself from them but in a blink of an eye, he was transported to the deep well, where his parents had once locked him in to kill him, the place that reminded him of his torment, the place from his nightmares.

There was a small mirror adhered to one side of the wall, he could see his apartment where he and Elena had spent those moments of bliss. He inched closer, placing his hands on the mirror. Of course, he couldn't pass through. He was trapped.

He looked around the well, uncomfortably. Even after all these years, this place still scared him. The darkness here wasn't comforting at all.

He laid back against the greasy wall of the well, closing his eyes, imagining his queen. His comfort. He imagined the softness of her skin, the radiance of her smile, the light in her eyes. He had a feeling she wouldn't be the same when he would be released, yet he wished for her to be his.

..

..

It's been a couple of days he had disappeared. She tried to contact Damon but in vain. She didn't know, where did he go? Why didn't he show up anymore? Did he lose interest in her? Was she not good enough?

Doctor Stefan noticed that and asked her why she was so upset. Sad and worried, Elena told him everything about him and how he has just randomly disappeared. Stefan promised to help her find him. A couple of days passed more.

Just when she decided to visit him in the downtown fight club, Stefan stopped her in tracks. What he revealed next was the biggest shock of her life.

"What did he told you about his parents, Elena?"

"He said, they died in a serial killer attack," Elena said, worriedly. "But why are you asking me that? What has that to do with…"

"It has everything to do with that. I told you that he was the wrong kind, didn't I? I told you he's trouble. Look at this!" He showed her a clipped newspaper. "He was arrested for his own parent's murder. Elena, he killed them in cold blood, his neighbor saw that and was going to testify it but somehow he disappeared too since there wasn't any proof so the court let him go with a clean chit. But it was him."

"How can… no, it can't be,"

"Look at this," Stefan showed her a file full of short newspaper clippings. There were a couple of news reports of the mysterious death of Damon's parents. It said that he had stabbed them to death for a ritual sacrifice for a cult who believed in a force called darkness, that granted them magical powers.

She took a sharp intake of breath when she read that the investigation officers of the case were eventually killed too. No one could ever find the murder weapon, any witness or any sort of clue. A shiver ran down her spine as she looked at the black and white picture of her admirer. His eyes seemed cold, his face seemed cruel, he looked hatred in himself.

"Oh God," She gasped. Tears prickled her eyes and she blinked, letting them fall on her cheeks. He was a ruthless monster and she almost fell for him.

Stefan looked at the distraught and shock on her face. He noticed her trembling hands. Good, she feared him now. The newspaper clipping wasn't a complete manipulation. He had only changed the dates but the news was indeed truth.

"Stefan, he is a murderer. I… I had been spending time with a…" She couldn't speak of fear. He had always been so soft to her, she never realized how dangerous he was.

"It's okay," Stefan said, encircling his arms around her, pulling her to him. He understood her feelings, he knew how disturbed she was right now. "I'll protect you with my life, I promise, you're safe, Elena,"

She wrapped her arms around Stefan crying in earnest, feeling the pain of fear, betrayal, and heartbreak.

"Stefan, please, I'm scared, stay with me,"

"Of course, forever, I'm here forever." He promised.

Her tears soaked his shirt, she was still crying for him. Fine, he would let her cry, but this was the last of him.

"It's okay. Let it out, baby. But I promise you, you'll be fine from now on, I'm here, I'm always here, Elena." He kept murmuring, assuring her that he was her protector.

Tables had turned. The devil fell, the angel won. Just like it always does. The rightness always wins. Little did he know that this wasn't the end, the devil would never give up on the love of his eternity. By attempting to snatch his lady love, Stefan has just initiated a deadly war and now devil would stop at nothing to take her back.

..

 _Shout out to 'Starlightso' for the story, 'You rise me up'. If you're into beautiful poetic tragedy type of stories, then it's one of the must reads._

 _I hope you liked this chapter. Drop me down a review please and do give me your feedback as a little holiday reward!_

 _Merry Christmas! (In case I don't update by then,) Happy Holidays, And a happy new year! I wish you all get everything you desire!_

 _Do review and let me know how was DE, Stefan and Stefan's new game? Any guesses on what Cade wants?_

 _Love you all._

 _Do Review!_


	8. The Devil's Memories

**_Dear Readers!_**

 ** _Happy new year! May the universe bless you in surprising and joyful ways. Have a prosperous New Year._**

 ** _Love,_**

 ** _May._**

* * *

Chapter 8: 'The Devil's Memories'

 _It was a dark, gloomy night, thick masses of dun clouds sailed across the firmament, and the roar of the winter wind echoed awfully through the forest trees. The old woman stood near the hut with a young, dark-haired child._

 _"Madre, where are we going?" He asked, a little scared. He didn't know why his grandmother would bring him out on such cold night. Why can't he stay in-house and play with his little brother? What's so important that she wants to show him now?  
"We're going to see papa and mamma," She whispered back._

 _He nodded in response but he had a feeling something was up. Even as a five-year-old, he had an uncanny power to detect a lie. It wasn't the only thing strange about him. He was different than children his age. A reason why his parents kept him captive inside the house. He wasn't allowed to make friends or play with his baby brother much._

 _The old woman led him through the forest, to a dark well where he noticed three dark figures. His mother, his father and his uncle Zackery._

" _He's just a child, Giuseppe, he's not doing it on purpose," He recognized his mother's voice._

" _Did you forget what he did, yesterday?" His father inquired. "He tried to kill Stefan. He tried to kill us. Didn't you hear what Pastor Young said? He's the devil. He's evil. We can't keep him."_

" _He doesn't even know that… "_

" _Lily, we talked about this. If it wasn't for Zachery, he would've have burned us alive in our own house,"_

" _But… but,"_

" _The council has given us last warning. We get rid of him or they would do it, do you want them to kill us all? Do you want them to kill Stefan too?" Giuseppe asked in a desperate tone._

" _No. No." She replied, sniffing._

 _As they approached closer and closer, Damon could hear strange voices in his head. These voices told him that he was in danger. On instinct, he ran to his mother but his father stood in front of him, gesturing Zackery to hold him._

" _Mamma?" He asked, his tone laced with fear. "Mamma, what are we doing here? I want to go back home,"_

 _His mother stepped closer but his father held her back, holding her hand. "I don't think you can see this. You should go back to the house."_

" _I want to kiss him one last time…" She requested._

" _No. We can't. Pastor Young said he can manipulate us. We can't let our feelings get in the way of what needs to be done," Her husband instructed. "Mother, take her away."_

 _Lily didn't protest when his grandmother pulled her away from his reach and onto the way back to hut._

" _Papa, can we go back home too?" He asked, his voice quivering. "Papa, why is mother going?"_

 _His father never replied, instead, he and Zackery attacked him, forcing a drink down his throat. Immediately tears sprang to his eyes and he started coughing as the fiery liquid burned its way down his throat._ _He tried to spit it out but they clamped his jaw shut and made him swallow._

 _He couldn't move after that. He could feel them, tying his hands and legs._

" _Hurry up, we have to throw him down the well before the clock strikes one, that's one the demons take over him," He whispered as he hurriedly uncovered the well's mouth._

 _Damon tried to move but it was a force restrained him. He couldn't move. He couldn't open his eyes. He couldn't call for help._

" _Mamma… mamma, where are you? Mamma, save me,"_

 _He felt someone pick him up._

" _Look, what these worthless creatures are doing to you, o King of all evil," He heard a voice whisper._

" _Save me," He pleaded to that voice._

" _The Darkness will save you, it will grant you a chance to take your revenge for this cruelty but you have to wait,"_

" _It's too dark, please, I… I can't breathe," Damon pleaded to the voice._

" _The darkness is your savior, young master, you don't need to be afraid of that," The voice replied._

 _And then he remembered falling down to a deep pit of darkness. He could hear his father and uncle Zackery's footsteps as they left after throwing him the in the dark well._

"Loverboy, your girlfriend had been looking for you today. She even went to the downtown fight club." Klaus's voice brought him back from a world further away.

His eyes snapped open at the newest piece of information. "She was looking for me?" She missed him, didn't she? She wanted him just like he wanted her. Being away from him made her anxious, just like he was.

"Klaus, let me out," He said placing his hand on the mirror.

"Damon—," Klaus let out a resigned sigh.

"Trust me, I'm over my feelings for her. I'm in full control of my emotions."

"You expect me to believe that? I just said that she is looking for you and you're eager to reach her," Klaus said shaking his head.

"I am not." Damon lied. "She is with that dick. I cannot let him ruin my progress. I know for sure that there is a scheme in his—"

He hasn't even completed when there was a knock on the door. He knew it was Elena because of her fragrance. He could recognize that sweet floral scent anywhere. She smelled of roses, pure and heady. It was a strange thing; he was madly attracted to her pure soul.

But there was something wrong. It seemed like she wasn't alone. She was accompanied by someone else. Someone who smelled revolting.

Klaus signaled him to wait as he flashed to the door.

"Yes," He said when he jerked open the door.

Damon saw her through the mirror that connected him to his apartment. His eyes feasted on her beautiful face, her brown curly hair and dark brown eyes that looked puzzled at the moment. Stefan was standing by her side, his hand on the small of her back.

He gestured them to come in but Stefan raised his hand. "We're not here to stay. She just wants to ask a few questions." His voice was cold and void of any emotion.

"Uhh, Damon isn't here," Klaus lied, confidently, glaring at his enemy warlock.

Elena looked at Stefan, a little fear, and uncertainty mixed in her eyes. She didn't believe the newspaper story. She wanted to confront Damon about it. She had decided she wanted to hear both sides of the stories before she jumped to a conclusion.

"Where is he?" She demanded.

"He… he isn't in the town. Boss called. He's out on a job." Klaus replied.

She gasped and looked at Stefan.

"Probably some gang-related job, typical criminals," Stefan mumbled but Elena heard it loud and clear.

Klaus bit the inside of his cheek, looking at the warlock who never sins. He had almost an evil glint in his eyes. Love worked in strange ways. It was turning their world upside down. The Devil was in love and the Angel was committing sins.

"Where did he go?" Elena asked, again, desperate for information. Her eyes were tear brimmed, her cheeks were puffy, she looked like she hadn't slept for days. Of course, without the peace that he gave her, she had some sleepless nights.

"Elena, I'm right here," He spoke even though he knew she couldn't hear him or see him.

"I can't tell that," Klaus answered her, ignoring Damon. "Can't let the risk… police and all…,"

"Police?" Elena breathed. Now she was sure, Damon was a criminal and he led a life full of illegal activities. Anger flared inside her. He lied to her. He said he will try to be a good man for her. He promised he'll change. He promised he'll never leave her. He lied.

She threw the newspaper clippings at Klaus's feet, her chest heaving with anger, "This is the risk? Is this why he disappeared?"

Klaus picked up the clippings, running his eyes over it, skimming for details. It was an old news about Damon's parent's death. Everything was true, except for the dates. Stefan had kept them fresh. Well, one way or another, Damon was the cause of the terrible sin.

"Not particularly,"

"He's a criminal, isn't he?" Elena demanded. There was a strange desperateness in her tone. She didn't want to believe that he was a bad person. She wanted to believe that he could be redeemed and that he was just a lost soul.

"What gave us away?" Klaus smiled an evil smile, looking back at the mirror, watching Damon burn in fury.

Her beautiful doe eyes, light brown and deep, were shadowed with a secret grief only Devil could read. Tears filled her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. She wiped a side of her cheek and nodded.

"You tell your sinner friend to stay the hell away from me. Tell him to never show me his face again, if he knows what's good for him. I don't ever want to see him again," She hissed, pointing a finger at Klaus's chest.

"Angel, calm down," Stefan said, holding her arm.

"No, Stefan, I can't. He deceived me, I…I'm sorry, I need to go," She said as she turned around and rushed down the stairs.

Klaus closed the door, smirking.

"Just let me get out of here, I swear to the darkness that you'll regret every word you said," Damon threatened, gritting his teeth.

"I never lied, you know," Klaus said with a chuckle. "He got some good mugshots of you," Klaus said, showing him the newspaper clipping. "Looks like you're back to square one,"

"Oh, fuck off," Damon snapped, lying back against the rough wall.

..

..

It had been a week now since he had been in prison. He was maddeningly hungry. It felt like he had been starved for ages. He couldn't even remember the time he had last fed.

"Klaus, you filth, let me out, I'm hungry," He said with somewhat energy that he had left.

"Nope, Starvation is your punishment, Devil," Klaus said without much giving him attention.

His heavy breath was ragged, he inhaled through his teeth and groaned. Every part of his being hurt and if he didn't feed soon, he knew he would start getting hallucinations and desiccate of hunger. All this pain for what? Loving someone? Loving someone with all his being?

If only he could conjure her right now. He would love to see her. For a while, this had been his only entertainment and solace in his prison, he would conjure her form in front of him and would watch over her. To his utmost anger, she was spending more and more time with Stefan now. But at nights, she would take out his jacket and wear it, smelling in his fragrance. She would sleep in his gift. That's the only way she could fall asleep peacefully.

At first, it surprised him that she truly missed him. He wanted nothing more to get to her and take her in his arms. But Cade's prison restrained him. He couldn't escape. This was his fate now. Because Cade's condition for his freedom was to stop loving Elena and he doubted that could ever happen.

As long as she was his, as long as she missed him, he would tolerate all the pain in the world for her. He was a devil but he was loyal and devoted.

"Is this what my worth has come to…" He almost jumped as he heard a strained voice.

A man dressed in a white cloak was standing near him, looking at him with disgust.

"Stay away from me," Damon threatened, even though he knew that if the man tried to harm him, he could do nothing but suffer since he was powerless.

"I am the messenger of God of Love, you fool," The man hissed.

"Get the fuck out of here, freak,"

"You called for help, I didn't come by my own choice," The man replied.

"I'm the king of all evil, I don't need any help,"

"You look starved and near death, doesn't look like any royalty to me." The man said, smirking.

"Who are you again?" Damon asked, groaning as he moved a bit.

"Elijah, the messenger of the God of Love," The dark-haired man replied, sitting on a stone nearby.

"Yeah, whatever, you can't help me, go away,"

"Silence, you sinner," Elijah barked, annoyed at his disrespectful behavior. "Now, coming back to business, I'm asked to keep you alive, I have to do so as long as your love for the girl is pure and as long as the girl's love for you doesn't corrupts."

"Love? She loves me?" He breathed out. A warm, flushed feeling began in his chest.

"I know, I was surprised too," Elijah said more to himself than him, "She prays for you every night, and as long as she does so, I have to provide you with proper nourishment to keep you from desiccating," Elijah said, "But the moment, either of your love corrupts, don't expect me to help," He waved his hand in the air and took the form of a dove.

"I don't have fire to roast you," Damon joked, smirking, he was too lost in the bliss of knowing that he was loved by her. Stefan's scheme backfired on him. She loved Damon.

"You pathetic creature, mind your tongue before I decide to punish you," Elijah hissed.

The dove flapped its wings and he felt the power rushing back to him. It was different than what he felt before. Maybe because the source of his feeding wasn't hatred. It was love. Her love. Her prayers.

"I shall return soon. As long as she has an ounce of love for you,"

"Yeah, yeah, be gone now." Damon said as he conjured his Queen's form in the thin air. It's been awhile he had last seen her.

"Thank you, my queen," He said, smiling, watching her as she walked down the stairs of her house.

..

..

It's been a month since she hasn't seen Damon. Despite Stefan's warnings, she still went to downtown club frequently to search for him.

She didn't know why but she had a feeling that he wasn't what everyone thought he was. Maybe he had manipulated her so good that her mind wasn't ready to accept that true fact, the fact that he was indeed a criminal.

She stroked his jacket, looking at it with love, "Wherever you're Damon, I wish you're safe,"

..

..

"Elena," She was stirring her tea, lost in her thoughts when Stefan interrupted.

A smile curved her face at the sight of him. Stefan had been so caring ever since Damon disappeared. He understood that she was hurt and he tried to heal her grieving soul.

"Are you still thinking about him?" He said, reaching for her hand.

She nodded in response, not lying to him.

"He never came back, not even to explain," She mumbled.

"Elena, honey, you need to let this go," He whispered. "We should be glad that we were warned before anything serious could happen. I don't know, Elena, but I wouldn't be able to bear it, if he ever hurt you, I…"

"You care so much about me," Elena said, her lashes wet with fresh tears.

"Of course, I do, I promised you, I'm always here for you, I'll protect you forever," He said, holding her hands firmly.

She smiled a soft smile. Maybe it was time to move on. Damon wasn't coming back and she can't just stop her life, can't she? Despite his cruel reality, she waited for him, didn't she? But he didn't care enough for her to return.

"Let me walk you home today, I did promise Jenna that I'll help her making dinner tonight," Stefan propositioned.

" Of course, Alice had been asking for you too," Elena said, running her hand through her hair.

..

..

Damon rubbed his chest, the place where his dead heart laid. He felt some strange sensations today, a grief as if he had lost someone dear to him.

As the night drew nearer, the grief grew until it became unbearable.

Holding his heart, he conjured Elena's form and saw her crying. She looked like she was in so much pain. Tears trickled down her cheeks and fell onto his jacket.

"Queen, why are you crying?" He asked desperately even though he knew she couldn't hear him.

Her brows rose to the heaven as if in a plea. Her helplessness made him anxious. He wished he could take all her pain from her.

"You broke my heart, Damon," She whispered.

Something struck him. She was crying for him. He hurt her.

"Queen?"

"I waited for you, but I have to move on now," She said, folding the jacket.

The conjured form of his queen disappeared in thin air. He mumbled a spell to bring it back again but it never worked. He wasn't powerful enough. He needed to feed again. Where was the messenger of love when you needed him?

He waited and waited for Elijah to arrive but he never came.

And then he realized Elena's love had been corrupted.

Stefan won again.

..

..

Elena masked the love with hate. She no longer wanted to see Damon ever. Her affection had turned into hatred. After a year of her parent's death, she had opened her heart to someone and he broke it like it wasn't worth a thought.

When she told about this to Bonnie and Caroline, they were shocked, just like her. They told her how grateful she should be to Stefan for saving her. They warned her against Damon and instructed her to stay away from him.

She agreed. Not like she had any choice, it's not like Damon cared enough to explain. He had just disappeared. No one knew about his whereabouts.

She tried to forget about him. She had promised to never think about him, even though sometimes she couldn't help it.

A week later, Stefan asked her out and took her to the Winter Ball as his date. They had a great time. He made her laugh, he swooned her with his gentleman-ish behavior and his sweet compliments. He made her promise another date too.

The next day, he took her to a small restaurant for lunch. They talked to their heart's content and she found herself enjoying his company more and more.

Unknowingly she was still waiting for Damon to come back. She always wore his jacket to sleep, because somehow it gave her peace.

Even though she liked Stefan a lot, she admired his kindness and his softness, she still couldn't give him her heart like she could to Damon. She looked at his jacket and realized that, maybe this was the reason, she couldn't let go of his memories.

She had to return this. She has to kill the last hope to ever see him.

"I have to get him out of my head." She said to herself, wiping a lone tear. "And my heart,"

 _"But, I'm your heart,"_ She heard a whisper as if a gust of wind spoke to her.

..

..

It had been two days since the last appearance of the messenger of God of Love. Damon knew the reason why, yet he chose to not believe it. Klaus was right. Love was overshadowing his sense of reasoning. It was making him quite an illogical person. But he had trust in Elena. He hoped she held on to him. He hoped she didn't forget him.

How long has it been since he last talked to her? One month? Two months? He missed the fragrance of her body, the touch of her soft skin, the taste of her lips. He missed playing with her hair, he missed taking care of her. He would sell his soul all over again to spend a day with her. The yearning was too strong. He wished straight from the heart.

It was as if his silent prayers had been answered.

A knock on the door startled Klaus and woke him up from his slumber.

"Queen?" He mumbled as he caught of whiff of her fragrance. To the likes of him, she smelled unique, too floral and too pure.

He rushed to the door, transforming from his demon form to human form.

"May I help you?" He said as he opened the door.

"I… I would like to see Damon," She said, she seemed confident but her voice trembled, giving her away.

If only he could tell her, he was right there. If only he could make her aware of his presence. He placed both of his hands on the mirror, a sigh escaping his lips. "Baby,"

"He's not back yet," Klaus lied.

She bit her lower lip, anger evident in her eyes. Was he avoiding her on purpose? Couldn't he even leave a message? Call her? He had her number, then why didn't he? She felt pathetic now.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm down her nerves. "Well, whatever, I wanted to return this," She said thrusting Damon's leather jacket in Klaus's hands. "I don't want this anymore. I don't want anything of his. I don't want anything to remind me of him. I would burn it but… I-,"

"I'll return it to him," Klaus interrupted, throwing the jacket behind.

Sinking sensations took him to the depths of dread. Damon's eyes gleamed, his cheeks went cold. He felt he was being burned alive. She abandoned him. She gave up on him. He knew it wasn't her fault yet he felt betrayed. His eyes stung but he shut them, quickly.

She stepped toward the jacket, picking it up. She placed the jacket on the sofa, softly stroking it before pulling her hand away. A confused feeling washed over her. Why did she felt like he was here? Why did her heart pound like whenever he was around?

She looked around the living room, where they last spent time, where they kissed for hours, talked to their heart's content. She felt a pang of pain in her heart. She had actually felt something for him. Maybe love? Or maybe something more than that. Why did he make her feel for him when he never planned to be serious about her? He didn't have any right to play with her heart like that.

As she contemplated what to say next, her eyes fell on the large mirror on the wall opposite. Her brows furrowed. "This wasn't here, a month ago,"

Before Klaus could stop her, she stepped toward the mirror. It was as if there was a strange pull. The beautiful clean mirror was edged with a gold border of olive leaves. It held some mystery.

She placed a hand on the mirror, narrowing her eyes, staring back at her reflection.

For a second, Damon thought that she might have seen him, that somehow her eyes could see through the enchanted mirror. The sun kissed her cheeks as the wind played with her hair. He wanted nothing more but to untuck the strand captive behind her hair.

"I'm here," He breathed out, placing his hand right where she had placed hers.

"Damon?" She whispered.

From up close, he could see the grief in her eyes. She looked wrecked.

For a moment, Elena thought, she saw deep blue eyes.

She backed away, gasping. How? He wasn't here? How could… was she losing her mind now?

"What?" Klaus asked, alarmed.

"I… I should leave," She said, taking steps back. "This was my last visit," She said as she hurried out the door, closing it after her.

As he watched her leave, his hands balled in fist. He unclenched one fist and a white rose appeared in his hands. He clenched his fist again, crushing the flower.

"True love, right?" Klaus joked as he picked up the leather jacket. "See, Devil, you really expected the human girl to remain loyal. These humans are so uncertain of their emotions, you really trusted her?" Klaus said as he walked to the mini bar in the corner.

"I don't give a rat ass, Klaus. Let me out,"

"Didn't you hear her when she said, it was her last visit. I told you she had been spending lots of time with that worthless brother of yours, didn't I? She is finally feeling something for him."

"Klaus, I swear to darkness, if you don't let me out now-,"

"Look at you, Damon, you're pathetic, what's gotten into you? What happened to my friend who despised love, who couldn't bear to be weak? Why are you allowing that worthless human girl play with your head like that? Why are you giving her power over you? You could have easily manipulated her into loving you but you fell for her instead. You're actually hurt that she abandoned you, aren't you? How could you give her the power to hurt you? See, what love got you into?" Klaus spat every word as he inched closer.

"Start thinking logically, Damon. I am afraid the chief won't give you another chance again. You need her because she is your mate. You don't need her because you want her, you don't need her because you love her. You cannot love her. Your devotion is only to the darkness, understand?"

No, he didn't understand. He pounded his wrists against the silver, trying to break out, shouting for his queen to come back.

"Elena! Elena, I'm here, come back,"

..

..

"How much longer are we going to keep him in the prison, my lord?" Klaus asked.

Damon had caused a lot of ruckus and had demanded him to release him now. His rage was such that he had woken up the phantoms, deadly spirits for his help. Cade arrived in just nick of time and punished him severely for his desecration. He cast a spell on the devil that would take him to the memories that he feared the most. It was the most horrific and excruciating pain a soul could suffer.

"A couple of more weeks before he finally gives in to darkness again, I cannot let his pathetic feelings in the way of what I want," Cade said, circling his subject, watching him burn and writhe in pain.

"I fail to understand, so what if he loves her? He-,"

"Don't put your nose into things your mind is incapable of understanding,"

"But, my lord," Klaus interrupted.

"You see, Klaus, love is rebellious, it's strength and weakness at the same time. His love for that girl might someday overpower his devotion to the cult, to the darkness. And when the time comes, when I need that girl for… for something that I've planned, he might get in my way. I shan't let that happen. I can't afford to make mistakes in such delicate plan." He said as he mumbled a spell, growing the torment inflicted on his traitor.

Klaus nodded, somewhat confused.

"Have you ever fed on the devil's despair, Klaus?" Cade said, turning around.

"No, my lord. I wouldn't dare… I can't challenge the king of all-,"

"Feast on him. Destroy his hopes, crush whatever will he has. Torture the love out of him." Cade ordered.

Klaus swallowed, thick. The task was big and dangerous.

"I'm counting on you,"

"I'll not disappoint you, master,"

..

..

 _So Dark._

 _He remembered crying for hours in that well. He hissed in fear when a rat crawled on top of him. He flinched, moving away as much as he could in between restraints._

" _Mamma!" He said through the gag._

 _The poison was starting to affect him. He couldn't breathe anymore. He tried to take in gulps of air, but somehow the air wouldn't reach his lungs._

 _Blood trickled down his nose._

 _He was in so much pain._

" _Why?" He asked. "Why are you hurting me so much? What I do?"_

" _He tried to kill Stefan," He could hear his father's voice like a whisper._

" _It's the child. He tried to… he tried to kill me," The housemaid shrieks rang in his ears._

" _I saw him with my own eyes." Uncle Zackery's voice boomed in his ears. "He thrust the knife in my sister's stomach. When I tried to stop he threw me away. It was like a demon took over him."_

 _He didn't know why would they all lie? He never intended to hurt anyone on purpose. He did what the voices told him to do. Why couldn't they understand that he was terrified too?_

 _One of the rats bit him on the arm, pulling him out of the memories. He shrieked, trying to release himself but the rat chewed on his flesh._

" _Mamma! Mamma!" He called for help but no one ever came._

 _He pushed his arm against the wall. The rat finally lets go and ran to hole, squeaking loudly._

 _Damon could feel blood pour out of his wound._

 _It hurt so much._

" _Someone please, get me out of here, it's too dark. Please!" He pleaded._

" _We're here, Damon, just a little while longer," He heard that whisper again. "Then you'll be ours, forever,"_

 _.._

 _.._

Brown doe eyes.

Beautiful sad brown doe eyes.

Her eyes filled his mind when he woke up. But for the first time, he didn't feel solace like he used to whenever he thought about her. He felt anger. He felt starved. He felt nothing but emptiness.

"Klaus, call Cade, I'm ready to give the test." He said, his voice cold as steel.

"Are you sure, Devil?" Klaus inquired. "You know, he would know when you're lying. Be honest, is it really gone? Are you really back?"

"Leviathan, you filth," He said, eying him dangerously. "I am starving, I need to feed, I don't have time for your games, be quick and call Cade,"

Klaus was a bit taken aback when Damon used his title from the hell but he didn't ponder on the formalities much.

"As you command, King of Devils," Klaus said, humoring him with a bow.

..

..

"You realize your mistake," Cade asked, glancing at his loyal servant, who was kneeling before him, restrained in chains.

"Yes, my lord."

"What's your objective?" Cade demanded.

"To bring the girl here and make her submit to the darkness,"

"Who are you devoted to?"

"The Darkness, my savior, my lord." He answered, his voice never trembling never shaking.

"And if you have to choose between the darkness and the girl…"

"Darkness. I'll always choose the darkness," He said, his voice hard as steel.

"Good, very good." Cade said, pleased with his answers, not detecting a hint of a lie in his statement. Not that he was lying.

He finally knew that love was for the weak. He was the creature of hate. How could he be so stupid to love her? He had gained nothing but pain ever since he had fallen for her. And what did he get in return? Anxiousness, despair, and agony.

She didn't even love him back. She abandoned him just like everyone else did.

Klaus had told him she was dating Stefan now and they were very happy. Well, not for long. He would kill the angel of goodness. He would destroy anyone that came in his way to her. She was his obsession now. She was only his.

"You're free!" Cade announced.

He remained on his knees, waiting for Cade's order. "Since you're lagging behind Stefan, I'm awarding you with half of my powers. You're more powerful than that wretched angel now. Get back on the mission but this time remain focused. You only get your mate after she has submitted to us,"

"Yes, my lord."

"Good, you may leave now."

From somewhat distance, he thought he saw Elijah.

What was he doing here now? Where was he when he needed assurance of his love? But before he could say anything, quick as a flash, Elijah disappeared.

What did this mean? Why was Elijah here? Did Elena pray for him again?

'No!' His mind denied. He couldn't think of love now. He shouldn't. He belonged to hate. He manipulated, not loved.

..

..

Elena and Stefan were walking, quietly, with smiles on their faces. When her house arrived, he turned to her and kissed the top of her head.

"Have you prepared for your finals?" Stefan asked, his hands cupping her face.

"I'm almost done, a few quick notes to revise," She said, pouting.

He let out a chuckle. "Well, you can call me if you need any sort of help."

"Can you help me cheat?"

"Elena!" He faked shock.

"I'm just kidding," She said, letting out a laugh.

"I know, my angel." He said, his fingers caressing her softly. "You would never do something as terrible as that. You're pure of all sins."

She let out a chuckle. "I should go, Jenna would be waiting."

"I'll miss you," Stefan whispered, leaning to kiss the corner of her lips.

She smiled, softly.

"I really should go," Elena said before he could kiss her lips.

"One of these days, I will take you away far from this world, where there would only be you and I." He said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Really?" Elena said, biting her lower lip.

"Yes,"

"Well, I would be waiting," She said, pushing him away slightly. "Good night!" She said as she hurried inside, turning back to smile once. Stefan's eyes remained glued on her as she went inside.

Damon watched the whole exchange from her window. He bit the inside of his cheek almost making it bleed. His knuckles clenched, making a cracking sound.

That's when Stefan's eyes fell on him, widening with fear.

"Elena…" Stefan tried to hurry inside but Damon waved his hand in the air and a barrier formed around the house, blocking him from stepping close.

..

..

As she brushed her hair, the familiar feel of someone watching her washed over her. Something blue gleamed in the darkness. She turned back, a little scared.

"Calm down, I won't hurt you," Damon said, knowing she can't hear him but his words affected her because her heartbeat steadied.

Eyes on the mirror, she reached her hand for her hair band but before she could grab it, he moved it away, out of her reach.

"Damn it, I put it right here," Elena said, looking around on the table. When she couldn't find it, she let her hair open.

She walked back to her study table and sat on the chair, continuing her work.

A strand of her hair fell on her temple, tickling her nose.

"I'm back, my queen,"

..

..

 _As depressing as the chapter was, I hope you liked it. Do me a favor and please do_ review _. It would only take a few minutes but it would make my day!_

 _Love you all for the support till now. THANK YOU!_

 _REVIEW!_

 _P.s: I'll update a fun filled chapter of Marry Me instead soon!_

...

 _ **Shout out to Scarlett2112 for 'Friends and Lovers', a beautiful piece of art. Romance, humor, love. It's a package!**_

 _ **Bonnie (SalvatoreBoys4ever) had the most amazing story out, 'Christmas Wonder'. It's a beautiful fic for all Delena romance lovers. I have yet to review it!**_


	9. The Devil's Confession

**Chapter 9: The Devil's Confession.**

* * *

She wasn't supposed to think about him. Yet she couldn't stop herself. Something was seriously wrong with her head if she still yearned for that psychopath. She should hate him. And a part of her even did but then when the night came, she couldn't stop herself from praying for the angel-faced demon. Where was he? Was he fine? Did he miss her? Was he even alive?

In her mind, she could hear Stefan warning her against thinking about him. He cared so much about her. He wanted to protect her from anything that might hurt. Wasn't he the man of every girl's dreams? Then why couldn't she give her heart to him?

 _Because it's mine._ She heard a strange voice in her head. Narrowing her eyes, she shifted her umbrella from one hand to another.

She turned around, surprised. The voice had been so clear; it was as if someone spoke to her. But there wasn't anyone close by.

The wind blew in fitful gusts and blew her umbrella away.

"Oh, dear God!" She mumbled as she ran after it. The rain-protector fell a little further away in someone's footsteps.

She bent to pick up the umbrella but someone beat her to it. Before she could reach for it, someone else picked it up.

"Thank yo…," The words died in her mouth when she saw who was standing in front of her.

"You!" She whispered as her eyes widened.

"Hello Elena," He said, smiling softly and for a second, Elena thought she forgot to breathe. His smile so beautiful, like angels sculpted him and brought him to life.

She stepped back.

"Here," He said, offering her umbrella.

She almost snatched her umbrella from his hand and was about to walk past him when he stood in front of her, blocking her way. Her angry eyes locked with his amused ones.

"Miss me?"

"No."

"Liar!" He inched closer. "You were just thinking about me. You're thinking about me all the time."

"I don't have time for this," She mumbled as she tried to move past him again. But he held her hand. She hissed, pulling her hand out of his hold, glaring at him.

"Don't touch me,"

"Ouch," He said, his eyes narrowed.

She reached for her purse and pulled out a pocket knife. "I know all about you now. And if you tried to come closer, I won't restrain from using this," She said in a way she thought was threatening but it only amused him more.

"Feisty! I like,"

"I'm not joking, Damon," She said, her voice dripping with fury.

"Ok, stab me, I dare you," He said, smirking.

"What?"

"Stab me," He said. "But you'll feel the pain more than I ever will." He whispered as if telling her a secret. "We're one flesh, Queen. Your pain is mine and my pain is yours."

She seemed confused by his words for a second before she decided to not give a thought to him. She put the pocket knife back in her handbag and zipped it close. She was about to walk away again but he stood in her way again. She gave a frustrated sigh, glaring at him. "What do you want?"

"You!" He replied as if it was obvious.

"Damon, I'm warning you, if you don't stop bothering me-,"

"Elena,"

"And don't even think for a second that you can lie to me again, I know about your past, I know what you did."

"He's lying. I didn't do anything." Damon replied a sudden cold and cruel look came on his face. "I can do that too you know. Print a bunch of stuff on a fake newspaper. Just because he showed you some old newspaper clipping doesn't mean that I did it."

"And why would he do that? What's in it for him?" Elena replied with a sarcastic smile.

"Isn't it obvious?" He said, biting the inside of his cheek.

She narrowed her eyes in curiousness.

"You. He wants you. He wants to get into your pants. He knew that wasn't possible as long as I'm in the picture so he took advantage of the situation and your foolishness and showed you the fake record."

"Doctor Stefan doesn't lie," Elena folded her arms on her chest.

"Well, Aren't you dating him now? That's what he wanted all along."

"This is ridiculous, Damon." Elena scoffed.

"He's a liar and a cheat. He's only doing this to get you."

"You're no angel either," Elena pointed out.

"I never claimed to be one," Damon's voice hard as steel.

"What's the point to this?" Elena said in an uninterested tone.

"I've said what I had to say. Everything that blonde scum said is a lie. He's framing me. He's breaking us up to get you."

"There is no us," Elena said, firmly. She couldn't love a killer.

"You're breaking my heart," He said, his face straight but the pain of heartbreak reflected in his eyes.

"Good." She said, "I don't care,"

"You don't?" He asked, his eyes suddenly furious. She suddenly felt afraid of him.

"Yes," She replied. She couldn't allow herself to melt now. He was no good. She couldn't just be with a criminal.

He stepped back, eyes still on her. She narrowed her eyes in confusion. He kept stepping back until he was standing in the middle of the road.

"Damon, what are you doing?" She asked, a little worried.

He never answered.

A car raced down the road, approaching where he was standing.

"Damon. Damon, what the hell? Get out of the way." Elena said, her eyes widening in fear and shock.

He stood quietly as if he never heard her.

The car was approaching closer. But before it could hit him, she dived in the road and pushed him out of the way. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She screamed.

"You do care." He said, his eyes still cold but there was a relief in them as if he wasn't sure before himself that she would dive to save him.

"You're sick!" She hissed. "You need help. Real help!" She resembled an angry kitten, pointing to him and shouting in fury. "You could've seriously gotten hurt. You could've died. What's wrong with you. You know what, you're mental."

He could see it in her chocolate brown eyes how much she cared about him. And, it felt so good, because, no one ever did before. What wouldn't he do to keep her forever? He was gazing down at her and it was hard to read his expressions. She rolled her eyes and picked up her files, her handbag, and her umbrella, muttering under breath.

"—and I am late for work because of you." She muttered as she walked hurriedly past him before he could stop her again.

"Elena…,"

"No. No, Damon. Stay away from me,"

..

..

"Hi Sweetheart," Stefan kissed her cheek, snapping her out of her thought bubble.

"Hi," She replied, not as warmly as she always did.

"What's wrong?" He asked even though he knew everything. One look at her face and he knew Damon had made his appearance.

She breathed out, scribbling on her notepad.

"Are you upset with me?" Stefan asked, pulling a chair, sitting close to her.

"I met Damon." She answered, her eyes still on her work.

"Oh, goodness, baby, are you fine? Did he hurt you? Why didn't you call me?"

"Stefan. Stefan, he didn't hurt me." Elena held his hand, assuring him she was fine.

"What did he want with you?" Stefan demanded, knowing the answer already.

"He claims that you were framing him and that newspaper clipping was fake," Elena replied, looking at him for any signs of lie and nervousness.

Stefan's face remained calm.

"And you believe him?"

"No. I don't." Elena replied, turning back to work. "Why would I believe him? He's a criminal, a murderer."

"You don't need to be afraid of him, Baby. You know I'll protect you," Stefan said, wrapping her in his arms.

She leaned against his chest, breathing in his scent.

"He'll never ever hurt you again, I promise you that." He added, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm not afraid for myself, Stefan." She looked up at her boyfriend. "Damon… he might be ruthless and dangerous, but I know he can never hurt me. It's your life I fear." She said, looking at him with concern.

"Oh, no, sweetheart. He wouldn't dare. Goodness cannot be held, captured or put to death. It evades its pursuers, escapes capture, slips away, hides out, but forever rises, again and again, all over the world. He is evil, he will never rise. I'm good, I'll win," Stefan murmured. "Forget him, let's talk about something else."

"Oh, what about?" She let out a giggle as he lifted her up and placed her on his lap.

"Umm, the Gala today. You're going with me,"

"Of course, I'm going to." Elena said, smiling.

"What are you wearing?"

"Clothes."

"No. What?"

"Stefan, it's work time." Elena said, trying to get out of his arms.

"But, but…"

"I'll meet you tonight."

"I'll be the one in black."

..

..

"Nice speech," Damon whistled, looking at illusion self of Stefan and his Queen. His little brother really did believe everything he said. But did he not know how powerful Damon was now.

" _He is evil; he will never rise. I'm good, I'll win," Stefan boasted._

"Yes, but do you know? Evil is always possible and goodness is eternally difficult." Damon replied, his eyes dark with hatred.

" _The Gala?"_

"Gala?" Damon said, confused.

"It's the Yearly Spring Gala the town celebrates every year." Klaus replied, his mouth bloodstained from the man he had just hunted.

"Oh, then we must attend it. Wouldn't want to disrespect town traditions."

..

..

She looked simply stunning in her flared burnt-orange, brown, and green print halter dress, and high heels. Her glorious long hair pulled back and held away from her face with a few small flowers and flowing down her back to her waist.

Stefan complemented her over and over again and told her how lucky he was to have her. She smiled a shy smile and thanked him. She could feel the eyes of all the other nurses and her classmates, they were all envious of her. She had a man they always wanted, a man that worshipped the ground she walked on.

But yet she felt incomplete. What was missing? A pair of mesmerizing blue eyes appeared in her thoughts. No. No. She repeated in her mind. And then as if she had wished straight from the heart, her secret prayers were answered.

"Hello Elena," She heard his voice and she felt her breath get stuck.

"Think of the devil," She murmured almost making him spit his drink out.

"And the devil appears," He completed, smirking at his own joke.

"Damon, I think I mentioned that-,"

"Yes, but you never considered my side of the story," He protested.

"You lost that chance when you disappeared." She hissed at him.

"I wanted to come… trust me, I… I wanted to be there with you, but-."

"It's too late," Elena said, holding her hand up, gesturing him to stop. "I'm with Stefan now."

"Yet, you were thinking about me," He said, inching closer.

"No, I wasn't." She lied to the devil.

"Huh, Elena, I know when you lie," He pointed out.

"Whatever," She rolled her eyes, turning around but when she looked up, he was standing in front of her again.

"What-? How…," She was confused for a second. How did he get there? Sometimes he acted so strangely.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out something. When she looked down at his hand, he was offering a rose. It was their tradition. She always accepted his rose. And today wasn't any different but then she remembered the many tears she cried for him when he disappeared, also his questioning past.

"Sweetheart," Stefan called from afar.

He strides towards where they were standing. A stern look came on his face as his eyes fell on the wicked warlock. "Everything alright?" He said, looking at his girlfriend, a hand around her waist possessively.

"Yes, Damon was just leaving," Elena said, coldly.

"Oh, was he? Good."

"Actually, I'm enjoying here, I think I'll stay." Damon replied coolly even though his eyes flashed for a second.

Seeing the tension between them, Elena intervened. "I think Jenna is calling us. We should go."

"Yes, sweetheart, I'll be right after you," Stefan replied, a way of asking her to leave.

She nodded and walked past them, back to the crowded area where the rest of the town was enjoying a music show.

"You haven't learned yet, have you, you filth?" Stefan said, his voice barely a whisper.

"You have played all your cards, now, it's my turn."

"The game was over the minute you were put in prison. I won. You lost." Stefan replied. "She can't stand the sight of you now, she despises your name, she hates you. She hates you like she should, like everyone does." Stefan hissed.

Damon chuckled. "I don't mind hate. Hate is just love gone bad, besides, hate is just beginning of a great love story."

"Careful, Devil. You can be prisoned again for this. Did you forget that? You can't love."

"Yes, you righteous scum, thanks to you, I realized what I always knew. Love is for the weak. I attempted to win her love and almost lost my power. I suffered when she was sleeping soundly. The love no one ever gave me, I gave it to her, but she didn't really deserve it, you know. Now, I have ripped off that weak part of me, I will do anything to have her, I will get her, and if I don't, you won't either." He threatened.

"You're bluffing, you and I both know you would never hurt Elena." Stefan folded his arms on chest, a bit nervous.

"Anyone," Damon replied.

"Not Anyone."

Damon smirked. With a click of his finger, a tent erupted in flames. A series of screams and cries followed.

"Anyone, Stefan! The darkness wants her. It had promised her to me. And we always get what we want. And when we don't get what we want, you know what we do to those who wrong us!" Damon hissed, his eyes turning the darkest color of black.

..

..

The fire spread through the Gala fast, and turned the festive happiness into mourning. There wasn't any loss of lives but some people were injured. Stefan went through the crowd to find Elena. She was huddled in a corner, crying.

"Sweetheart," He hurried to her. "Are you alright?" He examined her arms for injuries.

"The fire-, Stefan, I-," She couldn't speak of fear.

"Elena, you're okay, I'm here, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You'll be fine," He said as he helped her up.

"I… I was stuck there and then someone just… but I couldn't see who saved me, there was so much smoke, I couldn't breathe…," She said, wiping tears. Her dress was splattered with dirt. Her hair was a tangled mess about her shoulders. The hairpins that had adorn her hair was now somewhere on the ground. Dirt smudges were across her face.

She was speaking about her trauma but his mind was somewhere else. If he could bed Elena tonight, he could present her to his chief tomorrow. Her soul will leave her body and she would be eternally his. He could save her from Damon like that.

He cupped her face and brought his lips to hers, interrupting her. She was half of his soul; she couldn't stop him even if she wanted to. The magic bound her to both her seekers. So she never stopped him. He was her boyfriend after all.

Damon saw it happening before it could happen. The girl he loved, the girl who was destined for him was kissing his brother. Jealousy as fiery as the fire around him flooded through him. There was an ache where his heart laid.

Stefan felt the presence of Devil. He opened his eyes and saw his brother appear in thin air, growling, his eyes bright, blood red, and without pupils, surrounded by the darkest, blackest black, darkest then any pit. He inched closer, ready to attack but Stefan murmured a spell in his mind. An invisible glass wall surrounded him, a wall he couldn't come through. He tried to use his magic but the angel's spell countered his. This wasn't right. He thought. Cade said he would be stronger now. Then his eyes fell on the setting sun. Light overpowered darkness. Fuck!

The devil banged his fists against the glass wall but in vain.

"Get away from my mate, you filth," He hissed.

"I'm here," Stefan said to her, his forehead dropping on hers. "Would you like to go home with me?" Stefan said, still caressing her face.

"You're going to regret this, you self-righteous dick. I'm going to destroy you," Damon seem to know what he was planning.

Stefan looked up. The sun was about to set. As the dark grew, his power would weaken and Damon's power would grow. He had to take her to his lair before the devil's power exceeds his further. He only had a bit of advantage over Damon during the day. At night, now the Devil's power exceeded every limit. His lair was pure and safe; the only place he knew Damon wouldn't and couldn't enter.

"Okay,"

"Elena, don't go with him. Please, don't." Damon pleaded to her, even though he knew she couldn't hear him.

"Let's go then," Stefan said, one of his arms around her waist, protectively.

..

..

As the night grew darker, he knew what to do. The Devil stood on the largest tower of the Fells. As soon as he spotted the fragrance of goodness, he dived down.

"No one snatches what's mine." He murmured.

He landed on his feet gracefully, right in front of the young warlocks of Goodness.

"Oh, dear, Lord." One of the girls said.

"No, honey, it's the Devil." He smirked before he pulled out a sharp dagger.

"Please, don't." The leader of the group fell on his knees. "You don't know what you're doing. They're the servers of Goodness. Killing them would bring havoc in the world."

"That's even better!" He said as he inched closer.

"If I can't get heaven, I will just raise hell," Damon murmured as he attacked.

..

..

" _Papa, what happened to Mama?" Seven-year-old Stefan asked his father._

 _His father was lost, staring at his beloved's wife dead body. Someone had stabbed her to death. Mysterious events had occurred in the mansion. Days from her death, his mother told everyone that she could see her dead eldest son, the son that died mysteriously a few years ago._

 _She said that she would see him running around the house, laughing, playing like he used too. Giuseppe told her that it was all in her head. But she claimed that he comes to meet her at night and he tells her that he despises her and he will take revenge from all the household for his murder._

 _Afraid that the town would know about their sin, Giuseppe locked her up in a room and told everyone that she has gone mad. Last night, they heard terrible screaming from her room. All the servants, along with the men of the house hurried to save her. They found Lily's lifeless body in bed, every inch of her body covered with gashes._

" _Mother, take him away," Giuseppe said to the old woman sitting beside him._

" _Papa, who is that?" Stefan pointed at a dark shadow behind the pillar._

 _A little five-year-old, dark-haired child peeked through the curtain._

"Stefan, you need to go," Lexi ordered.

Stefan had casted a sleep spell on Elena when he found out what happened to his clan mates. He was summoned by the chief. They had an emergency meeting. Some of the warlocks were still in the Devil's prison. He had informed that he was going to torture them to death if Stefan doesn't come to meet him.

On Lexi's orders, he went to Damon's lair.

As expected his brother had thrown the angels in the cages surrounded by bloodthirsty lions.

"Damon, your beef is with me," Stefan said as he entered.

"Yet, you dragged in my mate," Damon pointed out, still sitting on the sofa.

"She's not yours."

"She is mine. She was mine. And she'll always be mine." He growled.

"We can settle it later. But please, please, let them go." Stefan pleaded as he heard the cry of his clan mates.

"Beg," Damon demanded, smirking his signature smirk.

Stefan fell on his knees, holding his head down. He couldn't let him kill innocent angels for his selfish desires. He was an angel after all. Sacrifice was in his blood.

Slowly, Damon rose up. He walked toward Stefan, stepping on his hand.

"Now, you know, who's the boss?" He said, pressing the sharp boot on his hand, almost to the point of breaking his bones.

"If you want these self-absorbed leeches alive you better tell her the truth. The entire truth. Or you take back your words." Damon gave him an option.

Stefan looked up at him in fury and then to his angels. He knew that either way he had lost this round. He had lost Elena.

He nodded, letting the tears of the humiliation and the pain of the loss of the love of his life, fall.

..

..

"Good Morning!" Damon interrupted her musings. It seemed to become another tradition that every time she walked to work, he would follow her and annoy her.

"Don't you have anything better to do than annoy me," She said, not even sparing him a look. She had to show she wasn't at all interested in him even though that wasn't the case at all.

"What's more important than convincing the love of your life that you're not the bad guy everyone thinks that you're," He said, playfully.

She turned, shocked. Her eyes wide and surprised before a frown covered her face. "You're a criminal, you're a bad guy."

"Well, that doesn't mean that I can't feel. I mean… criminals have hearts too you know." He reached for the strand behind her hair and released it, making it fall on her nose. She glared at him, tucking the strand back.

"Damon, I don't want to talk to you, stay away from me." She hissed.

"Elena, that blonde scum lied to you and you're ruining us because of him."

"First, he's my boyfriend and secondly he doesn't lie."

"Well, let's ask, Doctor William today, shall we?" He said inching closer. "Let's ask him about the truth of that newspaper clipping."

"Okay. But if it turns out true, you'll leave me alone." Elena demanded, walking down hurriedly to cross the road to the hospital.

"An if it turns out fake? Then what?"

"Then, you'll still leave me alone," Elena said as she entered.

"Hello, Miss Gilbert!" The Receptionist greeted her.

"Where is doctor Williams?" Elena demanded.

"In his room."

"Okay," Elena said and hurried to the elevator. He followed her. As the doors of the elevator closed, she found his eyes fixed on her, a smile playing on his lips.

"What!"

"Nothing. It's just… you look very beautiful when you're angry." He said, his eyes soft.

She huffed in annoyance.

The elevator door opened and she hurried out, with him hot on her heels. She passed through a long corridor and entered the first room.

"Good Morning, doctor." She said, but then her eyes fell on his bandaged hand. "Oh, Stefan, what happened?"

"It's… it's nothing," He said, somewhat lost and nervous.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked, cupping his face.

A loud cough interrupted them. Damon didn't seem to appreciate their closeness. His eyes were not liquid love like they were in the elevator when he was looking at her. Somehow, right now, he didn't seem that Damon at all.

"Doctor William, I just got informed about your research about me, and I must say, I'm not happy with it since it's a complete lie. Would you mind telling Miss Elena too?" He said, inching closer to the desk, his tone so cold that it ran shiver down her spine.

"Yes, tell him, Stefan, tell him that you weren't lying," Elena said, looking at Stefan expectantly. "I know you'd never lie to me, Stefan, I know he's the liar here but I just need…,"

"He's not lying, Elena. I was lying." Stefan confessed, his eyes downcast.

Elena's mouth fell. She stared at Stefan in complete shock and disappointment.

"I told you so," Damon said in a sing-song voice.

"Why?" Her voice was merely a whisper.

"Because I love you," Stefan admitted the truth. "I wanted you and… I could do anything to get you."

Her faced changed from broken to cold. She slapped him across the face in one determined hard sweep.

"Ouch!" Damon whispered.

"You accused him of murder. Do you even realize the severity of these claims? All because you love me? do you even know what love means? You deceived me. You made me a fool the whole time. You broke my trust and played with my heart." Her face contorted in pain. Tears welled down her eyes to her cheeks.

For the first time, Damon felt remorse. Unknowingly and unintentionally he gave her pain. He materialized a cotton hankie and reached to dry her tears.

"Don't touch me," She said, pushing him away slightly.

"I'm sorry, please don't cry." He said softly. "Please," You know I can't bear that. He wanted to say but he couldn't.

"She said, don't touch her," Stefan said, pushing him away from her.

Damon advanced forward and held him by his collar. "You've already gotten on my nerves, you self-righteous trash, don't make it worse for yourself."

"Do whatever you want but in the end, I will win, goodness will win. She's mine." He hissed.

"No, Stefan, what are you doing leave him now." Elena tried to pull them away from each other, but in an attempt to swat her hands away, Stefan accidentally pushed her back. She tripped and fell against the table, bruising her arm.

"I'll kill you," Damon growled, threw him back, launching a punch.

"Stop!" Elena said, coming between them, "Stop now!"

"I'm not anyone's." She shouted. "Not yours," She shouted at Damon and then turned to Stefan, "And certainly not his. So you both, stay the fuck away from me," She hissed before she walked out of the room.

..

..

"Elena! Elena! Stop," He followed her through the corridors to her office.

"Damon, I already said, leave me alone, I don't want to talk you or him," she said strictly.

"But, I just proved that-,"

"Yes, you proved that you were innocent and that Stefan only framed you, but it doesn't change what you did and what you are," She said as she picked the files from receptionist's table and hurried to her table.

"And what exactly did I do?" He asked, surprised.

"You promised me that you'll never leave me and yet you did." She said, stopping in her tracks and looking up at him. "I waited for you for two months. But you never called nor did you ever replied to any of my messages. I can't live like that, Damon."

"I wanted to be there with you, believe me, I did, but I…, it was something out of my hands, you don't understand-,"

"Do you see how unstable you are?" She said, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand, unstable?"

"The way you disappeared for two months, the way you reacted to Stefan today, I thought you were going to kill him. Your eyes, they were so cruel…,"

"I did what I did because he hurt you, and I'm not sorry for that," He said, bluntly.

She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"But I want too." He said, firmly.

"This is a hospital, Damon not café. This place is for patients only so I suggest you leave now." She said, turning to leave.

"Okay," He said and for a moment Elena was surprised that he gave up easily. But then she heard him pant in pain. When she turned around, she found a deep cut on his right hand and pocket knife in another.

"Oh, Dear God!" She gasped.

"There, now, I'm a patient too. Treat me, Miss Elena." He said, pouting.

"This… this is exactly what I'm talking about." She hissed as she approached him. "This is unstable." She added, pulling him to her office. "Your obsession with me… this is not stable at all." She said as she took out her first aid kit. She took out peroxide and a cotton ball and began cleaning his wound.

"Obsession? Am I the only one who believes in the power of love? This is not an obsession, my queen. This is love. Pure love and irresistible passion."

"Love? How is this love? You hurt yourself when I tell you to leave. You hurt people when they hurt me, if you loved me, you'll respect me, you'll respect my decisions too." Elena said, sharply.  
"Okay, if that's what I have to do to prove my love to you then so be it. I'll leave you, forever. You'll never see me again, I promise you, but do you really want that."

She looked uncertainly at him. How did the conversation turn to him leaving?

"Okay, then I'll go. But before I do, I have to say something." He took a pause, he looked at her. Eyes intent, alert, searching his own. "I came into the world with nothing. I have only felt hatred, suffered cruelty and brutality. You're the only one who had ever… looked at me with kindness." He cupped a side of her face. "You… you're the only one who has ever tried to tend my wounds, you're the only one who has ever offered me love. Is it surprising that I fell in love with you," He realized suddenly that his words weren't lies at all. He was telling the truth again. And no matter what the consequences, he would confess to her.

"I'm offering myself to you, but if you take me, you'll have to take all of me, my love, my darkness, my instability and my wounds, and I promise you that whatever I do, I'll always put you first, I'll protect you, I'll never let a shred of sadness ever touch you, you'll be my one and only forever." His eyes sparkled at her and the floor of her stomach disintegrated.

When she didn't reply for a while. He knew her answer.

"I don't love myself and that's why I completely understand why you don't love me either,"

He jumped off the table and he was about to walk away.

Should she stop him? Her heart did ache for him. She couldn't bear the thought of not seeing him forever. What should she do?

..

..

My apologies for the late update, I was busy with finals and now that's it over, I have time enough to write the story to completion. Thank you so much for you reviews. I can't put in words how I adore them.

I hope everyone enjoys the chapter! Elena is yet to make a decision? Do you think Damon is telling the truth or is he only doing this to lead her to a trap? Stefan finally confessed to his lie but this isn't the last of Stefan or Cade. The story will take a twist in coming chapters. Elena is yet to find out a world that she never thought existed.

Please, do review. I'll love to know your comments. What you liked and what you found scary? I'll be eagerly waiting for your thoughts.

I have updated Marry Me Instead. It's a romantic comedy of a runaway bride and a reporter as they travel around the country.

Carol, I'm waiting for an update of Eyes Without A Face. God, it's such an enchanting story. Bonnie just updated 'Captive of Her Beauty' And her writing is always amazing.

Be safe!


	10. The Devil's Heaven

**Chapter 10: The Devil's Heaven**

* * *

He was about to leave forever. The very thought was enough to make her realize that her feelings for him ran deeper than she had ever realized. As he was about to leave, she stopped him in his tracks, standing in front of him.

"What?" He inquired, dropping one eyebrow, and immediately raising the other.

She closed the door of the cabin, fast and turned to him, noticing him looking at her with curiousness. She leaped at him throwing her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Their lips moved, molding together. Her mouth opened as she began to breathe more rapidly. Their passions began to rise again, pulsate. "You've been on my mind every day ever since you left," She whispered to him.

"I didn't have any choice, baby,"

"Promise me? You'll never leave me again?" She said, leaning her forehead against him.

"You're my heart. How do you expect me to live without you?" He said, truthfully, cupping her face.

She didn't confess her love for him but she told him that she felt something deep for him, she couldn't name the feeling yet but she was willing to explore it. And that was enough for him. After all, sooner or later, she would have to love him. She would be his for life.

..

..

Lexi watched him pace in impatience. Stefan was really depressed, she had never seen him so broken and hurt. Losing Elena had really messed him up. She never realized how much he loved her.

He had been calling her non-stop but she wouldn't answer.

"Stefan, Stefan, calm down." She finally said when he threw the phone on the corner. "You'd be a weak man if you let your anger control you,"

"I'm already weak, Chief. I failed you. I failed Elena and I failed her parents. He has her and I can't do anything." He whispered, falling down on the couch.

"You haven't failed anyone, Stefan. The war isn't over yet." Lexi replied.

"Yes, the war isn't over yet." He murmured to himself. The Devil might have the upper hand for now but he knew he would figure out something. Goodness never loses.

"Not today. But one day, your mask will fall off, Damon, and they'll see the monster behind that angelic face. They'll see the monster that you truly are."

..

..

"Why is his name Klaus?" Elena asked, looking up at him. She lay drowsily on his chest, a blanket covering their bodies.

He tilted his head and pulled her closer. "It's actually caos, it's Spanish for destruction." He replied truthfully.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Suits well with what he does for living… sucking souls and all…," He mumbled under breath.

"What?" She said, eyes bulged out in shock.

"What, what?" He replied casually.

She bit her lower lip, thinking maybe she heard something wrong. "Nothing… I just… never mind."

"So you know Spanish?" She said as she turned to him.

"An unavoidable necessity. I kinda needed to learn it for what I do." He replied, truthfully. Being a devil, he needed to lure people to evil and for that, he needed to learn all the languages. It wasn't much problem, he had a vast memory and copious amount of time, being a supernatural.

"I never knew that," She said, pleasantly surprised.

"You don't know a lot of things about me," He said, kissing the top of her head, "That I will tell you over time," He added, quickly.

"Okay, Mr. I-am-a-mystery, what other languages are you fluent in?"

"All that you know,"

"Seriously?" She rose a brow, taking his statement as a joke.

"Umm, Diga algo" (Say something).

He wrapped his arms around her and she turned her face up and stretched her neck toward him. Though her lips barely touched his, he felt a sizzle all the way down to his spine.

"te amo," (I love you) He said, cupping her face.

"But that's easy. Okay, say something in German."

"Ich liebe dich," The words rolled off his tongue like honey.

"What does that mean?" She inquired, curious.

"I love you," The warm adoration in his eyes told her that he wasn't lying.

She hid her face, dyed with blushes, for a moment in her hands, then she lifted her head, smiling shyly.

"Croatian?" She said.

"Volim te," (I love you)

She already knew what he said by the smirk playing on his lips.

"Portuguese,"

"Eu te amo," He answered again. (I Love You)

"Swedish?" She cocked her head slightly to the right and he realized that her face was getting closer.

"Jag älskar dig," He breathed. He leaned closer, covering her mouth with his. The instant their lips met, her insides fluttered. She slipped an arm around his neck while she pressed her lips against his.

His hands moved sensuously along the curve of her back. He pressed warm, tantalizing kisses along the curve of her chin, marking a path down to the base of her throat. Would she stop him if he undressed her now and marked her his, forever? But she still hasn't confessed her love to him. He needed her to tell him she loved him before he claimed her.

"Elena," He spoke in between kisses.

"Yes," She managed to speak when she wanted nothing more than to keep tasting the softness of his lips.

"I have said it in six languages, you didn't even say it in one," He cupped her face, searching her eyes for something.

She laid her head on his chest, a little quiet now. "I… I know, there is something, I just… I can't name it right now, I need a little more time,"

He pursed his lips and nodded, the smile no longer playing on his lips.

"Damon…," She said, caressing his cheek, suddenly feeling bad for crushing his hopes again.

"It's fine." He let out a fake smile but she saw right through it. "Take your time,"

"It's just… with work and all, I-,"

"Would you like to go somewhere with me this weekend? Only you and I. Somewhere far away." He inquired.

She looked at him uncertainly for a moment, nervously, running fingers through her hair. "Where?"

"Heaven," He replied, smiling.

"What?" Why was he always so mysterious?

"Surprise. But, I assure you, it will be no less than heaven," He said, untucking a strand of her hair. His eyes were so hopeful; she didn't have the heart to break his hopes again.

"Okay, but I'll have to ask Alaric and Jenna, first."

A smile like never before came to his lips. He hugged her to his chest, murmuring to her how much he loved her and how he will make sure she has the time of her life.

It wouldn't be much difficult to get permission from her guardians. All he had to do was compel them. Being devil did have its perks.

..

..

"So, you're Damon?" Alaric said as he sat on the wooden chair, dragging it closer to the dining table. "I've heard quite much about you."  
"I don't talk about him that much," Elena complained.

"No, just during breakfast, after work, before dinner, after dinner, before bedtime and sometimes during sleep," Jenna said, a mischievous grin plastered on her face.

"Dear Lord, she's lying," Elena exclaimed, embarrassed.

A light laughter erupted from the table at her nervous antics.

"I'll actually be very happy if she's as smitten with me as you say," Damon said, softly.

"Aww, they're so adorable," Jenna said with a dramatic sigh.

They talked for a while as Alaric inquired about how they met and how they came together. He was a bit concerned with Stefan's sudden disappearance and Elena bringing someone home, so quickly. It's only been what? Two weeks.

"Aww, that's so sweet. He pretended that he was hurt just so he could visit her," Jenna's smile was genuine and kind. She found the story adorable. But Alaric didn't seem convinced. He only offered a slight smile out of courtesy.

"And what do you, Damon? Do you study? Do you have a job? I don't quite remember seeing you around." Alaric asked him directly.

"I-,"

"He works at a Bar." Elena lied before Damon could reply.

"Aha, okay," Alaric still felt something off about the situation. He was never even much accepting of Stefan but there was something seriously wrong with Damon, he had this dark aura, he seemed dangerous and unstable. And to be honest, Elena had suffered enough in one lifetime. She was broken when her parents died, she shouldn't have to suffer ever.

As they talked, Damon told them that he planned to take Elena out of the city this weekend. He promised that he would keep her safe at all cost. Jenna looked at him, a little hesitant. Ever since Elena's parent's death, she never let Elena go out of her sight. Even though she was an adult, Jenna still feared for her safety since she knew about the vow her sister made with an unknown warlock.

Before she could answer, they heard a cry coming from Alice's room.

"My daughter, Alice," Jenna said, "She must have fallen or something, let me get her," She said as she rose up, hurried to a room.

"Elena, hon, can you go get me ketchup from the kitchen?" Alaric said, his eyes fixed on his plate.

"Sure," Elena replied as she got up.

Damon could sense that Alaric had just used Ketchup as an excuse to talk to him alone. The grim expressions on his face told him that he wasn't much fond of Damon.

"Listen, Damon, look, Elena… how do I put this? Elena has a couple of health issues, we… we don't let her go out of town alone." Alaric said with somewhat reluctance.

Lie. Damon knew that he was lying.

"What health issues?" Damon demanded.

"It's personal." Alaric shot back.

"She's my girlfriend. Mine. I think I have a right to know." Alaric could swear Damon's eyes flashed red for a very brief second.

Alaric rose up from his chair and walked to the mini bar in the corner of the dining room. He made himself a drink quickly and gulped it down.

"Look, Salvatore-," When he turned to talk to Damon, he found himself face to face with the blue-eyed man. He was murmuring something very quickly under breath. Alaric felt his head spinning, he didn't know how but he felt a cold hand gripped his heart and pressed it and pushed upward, choking him, and his cry remained stifled in his throat. His eyes did not want to see, and yet he could not prevent them from seeing; his brain did not want to know, and yet he could not prevent it from knowing.

"You will not stop Elena from going with me, you'll allow her to go, you'll tell my Queen to enjoy the weekend and you'll convince your wife that it would be a good outing for her," He heard someone whisper in his ear and he couldn't help but submit to it.

"Ric, here," Elena's voice snapped him out of daze. He found himself seated on his chair again as if nothing has happened. Damon was sitting across him, eyes downcast, playing with his food. When he looked up, Alaric could see his iris's turn red, gleam and then turn back to normal. And even though, it was the strangest thing he'd ever witnessed, Alaric found himself not reacting at all. It was as if his body has been possessed. And in a blink, his memory was erased. Like nothing ever happened.

Jenna came out of the room, carrying Alice on her hip. "I don't know what's wrong with her, Ric, she's been making a fuss but she won't tell me what's wrong."

When Alice's eyes fell on Damon, they widened in panic. "Mom,"

"Alice?" Jenna looked alarmed.

"He…," She pointed at Damon. She had seen him with Elena numerous times. He was always around her, playing with her or just lying his head in her lap, talking to her. But strangely no one noticed the stranger man. Sometimes she would see him transfer into a monster and then back into a human. She was a child but she knew he wasn't normal at all.

"Oh, that's Damon, Lena's boyfriend," Jenna introduced.

"Mom, big… big nails, he… he monster," She tried to speak but she couldn't.

"Alee," Jenna gasped.

"Alice, he's my friend, he's not a monster," Elena said softly to the little girl but she seemed so frightened, she couldn't even look up.

"I'm sorry, Alice is a little uncomfortable around strangers," Jenna said apologetically.

"Jen, take her upstairs," Alaric said, inching closer to calm the little frightened.

"But the boy-," Jenna whispered, gesturing to Damon.

"It's okay, I've talked to him. She'll be fine with him." Alaric replied.

"Seriously, Ric, don't you remember what-," Jenna protested but Alaric convinced her that Elena was an adult and they shouldn't stop her from living her life because of a stupid myth her sister believed in. "Take Alice and go upstairs, I will talk to them," He instructed her again.

Jenna still didn't seem comfortable with the idea but she nodded in agreement, "I'm sorry for Alice's behavior, Damon, she never acted like this before, I am sorry the dinner got ruined."

"Of course, not, Mrs. Saltzman, the dinner was delicious and I completely understand little Alice's tantrum, I wasn't very good around strangers either," He said with a kind smile, "She'll come around… eventually," He added. "Thank you for the dinner and… Goodnight,"

"Goodnight," She said as she hurried back to a room, with Alaric following her.

"I can't believe they're letting me go. How on earth did you convince Ric?" Elena said, surprised as she turned to him.

"I have my ways," He replied as he circled his arms around her waist, bringing her closer.

"You're such a devil," She ruffled his hair, giggling.

"That I am," He said as he pressed his lips against hers.

..

..

Her head rested on his shoulder soundly, as the cab drove through the pass to the twin lakes. 'The heaven' as he told her. He was running his fingers through her soft silky straight hair. She was fast asleep. He had noticed that a lot, she slept a lot, in the plane, in the car, anywhere in his arms. It amazed him, how could she sleep so serenely in the arms of a devil. Did he give her peace like she did to him?

She was the finest of God's creation. He thought. Or maybe every mate thought about his mate like that. Sometimes, the affection he felt for her bordered worship, but that was wrong. That would be breaking the rules. Just last night, Cade had visited him regarding his love confessions to Elena. But he was pardoned once Damon confirmed him that for him, the darkness meant more than anything, even his mate. And that like he promised he would lure Elena to darkness.

He was being selfish and he knew that. In his obsession to get her, own her heart and soul, he was planning to corrupt her purity. But he didn't care. The universe wasn't fair to him either. If he was getting a little bit of happiness, he wouldn't sacrifice it for some sort of worldly goodness. The universe has set her for him, the most gorgeous thing he'd seen, a person with so much fire and beauty, he just had to bring out the dark parts of her soul and then she'd be his.

He was underestimating the power of pure love. He thought he had his feelings under control. But the girl in his arms always messed with his mind, she always made him feel things that he never felt before. Fate had planned something else, something that he'd never thought could ever happen.

"Mhmm… are we there yet?" She murmured sleepily.

He lightly pressed his lips to her forehead, "Almost there."

She stretched and groaned, "arghh… so tired of hearing that,"

He chuckled, " Look who's a little too much curious."

She faked annoyance lifting her head from his shoulder, still in his arms" It's called being excited. And yes I am, it's the first time ever I am out of town so far with my-,"

"Boyfriend?" He mocked in his velvety voice.

She rolled her eyes, "Yes, my boyfriend, who never lashes out at people for no particular reason and doesn't even disappear for months without a message, loves me devotedly," She still hasn't gotten over that.

Even though she said it sarcastically it didn't spoil his mood, "How could I not? When my girlfriend is a person who remains completely proud of what I am and wouldn't lie to her family about it."

She narrowed his eyes, "Trying to get out of the doghouse by playing that card, fine, we're even now. And I'm not ashamed of your past, okay, Ric and Jenna are a little too protective, I just… really wanted them to like you,"

"And why is that?" He asked.

"Because…," She trailed off, a light blush covering her cheek. "Because you're going to be around a lot."

"Forever." The determination on his face sometimes unnerved her.

He laughed a little at her nervous antics, "I love you." He leaned in his head and pecked her lips before she pulled back, "So, where are we?"

"Heaven."

She slapped his chest playfully "Stop it! I am serious."

"You'll see."

..

..

"How did you manage to get here?" She looked around the resort, surprised. How could he afford the trip?

"I told you, I have my ways," He replied.

"Damon?" She frowned.

"I promise, it's nothing illegal."

"Then how?" She demanded.

"I had a bit savings," He despised lying to her. How strange? He was the king of all evil and he couldn't even lie when she looked him the eye.

"Okay," She seemed to accept his answer.

"Well, now that you're done interrogating me, I need you to go freshen up, I have a handful of surprises for you,"

"Oh, interesting," Her eyes gleamed with happiness. "I'll be back in five minutes,"

"Five minutes is five minutes," He called after her, knowing her five minutes meant an hour.

..

..

"How do I look?" She twirled in her pale pink baby doll dress paired up with the leather jacket and long boots.

"Beautiful?"

"Only beautiful?" She said, making a face playfully.

"If ruling the world be a possession of value, my queen of that realm, queen of darkness will be far more precious, for if she had didn't have a crown or held royalty, her single person, in her divine beauty, would be worth a kingdom." He said softly as he pulled her closer, untucking a strand behind her ear.

"Queen of… darkness?" She said, a little surprised at his words.

"I'm darkness, and you're my queen, aren't you?" He said, cocking his head to a side, he crept his hand to his back pocket, materialized a white rose and offered it to her.

"You're so cheesy," She narrowed her eyes in fake annoyance, taking the rose, not pondering at all at the fact that his hands were empty a moment ago. "Now, where are we going again?"

..

..

When the car stopped at a point, she tried to look out but he quickly covered her eyes with his hands "Nope, not this easy,"

"Oh for goodness sake,"

He quickly replaced his hands with a blindfold, "If you want we can utilize this later as well."

"Damon, I swear I'll take a flight back if you try me again." She said in her fake warn voice.

He got her out of the car, wrapping his arms around her, sweeping her off her feet. She let out an excited squeal, surprised at the gesture. "I hope we don't fall."

"Don't you trust me,"

"With my life," She replied earnestly.

He looked up and saw the late evening turning into early night with a darkening sky and a mild breeze that seemed to be the formative stages of a thunderstorm. He murmured a spell, blowing away the clouds that were curtaining the star-studded sky. This was his favorite time of the day, just the time when light surrendered and darkness prevailed. His time.

"Mmm… this place smells so refreshing and natural." She broke his daze. "Are we there yet?"

"Just a little further," He whispered to her.

Awhile later, they stopped at a spot. He helped her land on her feet and moved behind her, fingers reaching the knot, "Ready?"

"Yes!" She was dying from the suspense; she knew it would be great whatever it was.

He kissed her cheek tenderly before stepping back to untie the blindfold.

"Oh God!"

Cradled by cloud-speckled blue skies and golden-hued groves, a little river ran north between green slopes from a white-capped cone of the mountains to a long narrow lake.

The blue of the lake in complete contrast with the eyes of the handsome man standing beside her. Half gray mountains, a fading orange with blue and white clouds in the sky. He was right, this was heaven.

She squealed with excitement, "Maroon Bells?"

He nodded, smiling. "Read it in your diary, you always wanted to come here,"

"You read my diary?" She squealed. "When?"

"Umm." Shit. Now, how was he supposed to explain that he practically lived with her and whenever she fell asleep he would busy himself with her old diaries and her memories.

"A week ago, when Jenna and Ric weren't at home and you took me to your room to make out,"

"That's very… rude," She feigned fake anger but then smiled, "But you're forgiven because you brought me here,"

She looked at the beautiful scenery, "This is, this is so perfect."

He shrugged, "Meh! It's okay."

She shook her head, "No way, its… it's amazing, I love it! God! Is this even real? It's so beautiful,"

He walked towards her, "Not as beautiful, as extraordinary as special as what I am going to show you next."

She rose a brow as he turned her towards the water, she saw her reflection staring back at her. He murmured in her ear, "So perfect, so special, I love it, are you even real?"

She felt her breath caught, her blush burning her cheeks in the cold weather. She bit her lower lip in nervousness, inching closer to peck him on his lips before she pulled back.

"What are you doing?" He asked, curious.

She didn't answer and took off her shoes. Slowly, she lifted her dress and walked into the lake, closing her eyes at the contact of water, strangely, it didn't feel as cold as it should.

Damon's eyes focused on the edge of the lake, chanting a spell to keep the flow of water in balance and the temperature warm enough in accord with how much her fragile human body could take.

"Come," She gestured him but he shook his head.

"Come here," She said again.

"No. I'm not much fond of water anyway,"

"But I want to kiss you," She pouted.

He let out a chuckle of amusement at her attempt to bribe him. Taking a deep breath, he took off his shoes and folded his pants before he walked to her.

She threw her arms around his neck, brushing her lips against him tenderly. Then she kissed him again, this time sealing her mouth against his. But she kept the kiss innocent. It seemed more intimate, more tender, the way her lips would just softly touch his lips, wreaking havoc in his heart and soul. His hold on her was so soft she almost fell from his arms but he caught her.

She let out a giggle at his dazed eyes, holding on to his jacket. Looking down into her face, softly illuminated by the silvery moonlight, he realized the universe wasn't that bad at all. If he hadn't suffered all that pain, he wouldn't have ever gotten this moment. This very moment was worth all the pain in the world.

..

..

A full moon beamed down genially. The sky was star-studded and they seemed close enough to reach up and grab. The light breeze played with her hair, untucking a strand of her hair, making it fall on her face. When she turned, she found herself inches from the blue-eyed man she called her boyfriend. With every second, she felt like she was falling harder and harder for him.

He draped his jacket over them, pulling her over his lap. They had just watched a movie in the park near the resort and had dinner. Afterwards, they decided to take a walk. It was late night but she knew that as long as she was with him, no one could ever harm her. They stopped a little behind from the edge of the peak.

"What are you thinking?" He asked curiously.

"Fireflies," She replied, beaming.

"Fireflies?"

"This peak… it's famous for fireflies, I saw it on catalog, but-," Her voice drowned in the background as he focused on pulling his magic from the darkness and granting her wish again.

"I think we came on the wrong spot, they must be on that peak," He pointed a little further.

"Really," She said as she rose up to her feet gracefully. She hurried to where he pointed and stood near the bushes, waiting for him to catch up.

"There is nothing here," She said, frowning, looking at him.

He took her hand, kissed it and then softly grazed her fingers to the rough bushes. She could see dim lights glinting between the twigs and branches. And suddenly, hundreds of thousands of Tinkerbells rose. Glowing fireflies flew everywhere around her.

She looked at them in an awe, her hands cupping her cheeks.

"Happy?" He asked her, liking the bright shade of glee on her face that he brought.

"I've never been more happier," She replied, grinning warmly. But before she could press her lips against his, he stopped her.

"What?"

"Do you know firefly's stings?" He said.

"They do?" Elena said, eyes widening in horror.

"Yes,"

"Run!" She mouthed as she covered her face with the jacket and made a dash, with him following after her.

..

..

"Tinkerbells from hell with their nasty whirling blades," He murmured, wiping his face with a towel.

She let out a giggle at his annoyed grumbling.

"I hate nature," He jumped on the bed next to her.

"Shh. Don't say that." When she settled, he pulled her atop him and kissed her forehead, pulling a blanket on them. She took his other hand, holding him captive as she straddled him. She forced his arms over his head, dragging them along easily as she lowered her face closer. Her playful smile tucked itself close to his heart. He nipped at her but she pulled back just before their lips could touch.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Elena," He smirked, admiring her sudden boldness.

She smirked back. A move she copied from him. She had an unreadable expression on her face. He couldn't be sure of her motives. She grabbed the hem of the dress, jerking it up her body and off. It had the desired effect she wanted. She could feel his shaft twitch underneath her. She saw his eyes widen slightly when they surveyed her body with undisguised lust, taking in every movement, every curve of her voluptuous body.

She took the initiative and lowered her face as she brought her lips close to his, hovering for an instant before she kissed him. She allowed her lips to part only slightly, just enough for her to taste him as her body began to warm. She knew the instant Damon took control of the kiss because his lips hardened against hers, and he drew her closer to his body, molding her shape to his.

Before she knew it, he flipped them over. He kissed her as if it was his dying wish. He kissed her as if she was the last chance of air for a drowning man. He slid his hands that were cupping her neck down to her throat rubbing it gently as her body arched towards him.

He thoroughly kissed the soft skin of her neck and chest, trailing his kisses lower as he slowly pulled the blanket down, exposing new territories for him to kiss and touch. Her breast tops were fully revealed to his tender administrations as he placed small kisses and small licks on her tender skin.

He could claim her now. She would never complain. She was willing and so was he. But he couldn't. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't. He wanted her to love him before he made her his. It was against his vow to the Lord of darkness, it was against his vow to himself. He only wanted Elena. He didn't need her love, he told himself before, didn't he? But he couldn't. He didn't want to corrupt her purity. What was wrong with him?

Deep down, he knew that Elena's crazy attraction to him was just because of the magic that bound them. He didn't want the supernatural pull. He didn't want carnal pleasure. He wanted to make love to her. Only after she declares that she loved him too.

Slowly, he pulled back. "Elena," He breathed heavily.

"What?" Her eyes were filled with lust. She wanted him just as much.

"I… I think we should stop."

"Why?" She demanded. She wanted it. He wanted it. Then why not?

"Because I love you,"

"I know…" She replied, softly rocking against him.

"Elena, you're… don't you think your first time should be with someone you love?" He said, his hand reaching to untuck a strand.

She froze as if just realizing what she was about to do.

"It's not that I don't want you. I want you… oh, so much… but, I… I'm probably going to hit myself for this but, I don't think you're ready for this yet and-," She never let him complete as she hugged him. "You're the most amazing person I have ever met," She sighed in gratitude. Her heart swelled in happiness at the thought that he genuinely loved her. He wasn't driven by lust or any hidden agenda. He wanted her in his life and he needed her to breath. How was she so lucky?

"You should… probably wear something, I don't think I can stop myself if you keep pressing to me like that,"

She let out a low giggle, picking up her shirt from a side.

Hours flew by as they talked, late to the dawn. He was right. This was heaven.

..

..

It felt like the world had become a new and magical place overnight, where anything and everything seemed possible. Everything she wished, she would get. If she wished for the sun to be brighter, it would happen. If she wished for the breezes to be cooler, it did. Once when she stepped into the water, she felt like she was walking on it.

Rainbows magically appeared when she looked up the sky. The flowers blossomed wherever she touched. It felt like Damon's aura was spreading to color every aspect of her life, to make every moment more memorable, every sight fresher. Little did she know that it was indeed his power that bent the laws of the universe and molded it into whatever she wanted. He was giving her whatever her heart desired but she didn't know she would have to pay dearly for it, for when the devil granted you something, he always took something in return.

"Okay, so, it's official, I'm in love with this place, I never want to go back." She said, turning to him.

"Then don't." He shrugged.

"It's not that easy." She said, pouting. "You've literally given me the world. How am I ever going to repay you for this?"

"Good Question," He said, making her straddle him, burying his face in her neck. "I want you. I want all the days of your life. I want your heart, your soul, your body, as my own. I want your children, your future, your wisdom, your laughter, your love, your tears, your smile. I want all of you, forever,"

"That's a lot." She drew in a breath.

"A small price to pay for the eternity you made me wait," He whispered.

She let out a chuckle, pretending to think. "Deal,"

He pulled back, searching her eyes for something. "You don't know what you're saying."

"I'm yours." She declared. Her eyes melted in adoration as she looked into his eyes. If he loved her like this, it wouldn't be bad to belong to him forever.

"You're dealing with the devil, darling, you won't be able to take back your word." She never noticed how his eyes glinted at the thought of her belonging to him, the raw yearning, the dangerous obsession.

"I don't want to,"

"So be it," He murmured as he dropped his head on his shoulder, smiling.

..

..

They had lunch in a café near the mountains, under the open sky and then they took a walk by the streams. "He was a very good dancer, wasn't he?" She talked about the young boy who had entertained the guests while they ate.

"Not as good as me," He replied, pretending to be unimpressed.

"Oh, quit it, he was a natural," Elena said fully intending to play with him. "He'd the right body for it, I wish he asked me to dance," She sighed a fake sigh.

"Stop it, Elena, he wasn't that good." He seemed annoyed now. He never really liked when she talked about other men.

"Did you see when he just-," He never let her complete. She was surprised when he pulled her to him and holding her wrist.

"What're you doing?"

"Showing you my moves so you'd stop talking about that stupid guy with horrid dance moves,"

As they rocked in a basic step, backwards and forwards, he let both his hands slide down her arms so he was holding her hands. Then he moved her arms up and over and his fingertips brushed along the length of her arms and ended up on the back of her shoulders. Her hands came naturally to rest on his chest.

She let out a giggle as she twirled. "Is someone jealous?"

"Jealousy is so beneath me, I just… don't appreciate it when you think about someone else. You're only mine. You should only think about me," With his hands splayed on her shoulder blades, he swung her quickly side to side, then dipped her back, holding her so her legs were together and her back was arched. Taking a long pause at the bottom of the dip to look deeply into her eyes. He slowly and sensuously brought her back up to an upright position and, with his right hand firmly just above her ass.

"I'm impressed." She breathed.

"You should be," He huffed, still pouting.

"You know, I was only messing with you,"

"Sure," He rolled his eyes, still pretending to be annoyed.

After taking a stroll, they settled near the junction of twin lake, with their feet half dipped. They had hands wrapped around each other's waist while her head rested against his shoulder, his other hand softly holding hers, caressing.

He was telling her about his plans for them, making a mental checklist of things they would do together, "I plan to show you all of the beautiful places you've never seen, places no one has ever been to, I've visited them before but I always thought something was missing. There was a hole in my heart, Turns out, it was always you, I missed you before I even met you,"

She gazed at his handsome face watching his mouth as he rounded every word. He was cultured and had that indefinable air of authority as he spoke with ease and affection to her.

"What did I do to deserve you? Your love? I haven't even said it back yet."

He cocked his head to a side," So, that won't control the way I feel for you, I will love you no matter what, even if I have to wait till the last second of my existence, I would wait,"

The heavy black and gray clouds roared across the sky like a freight train and before they knew it, the heavens opened and colorful raindrops poured down. Elena brushed the water from her face, smiling warmly.

He glared at the sky. He could easily make the rain stop but that would make Elena suspicious. "Come on, time to abandon ship,"

"Stop, it will clear up," She looked up at the sky.

Raindrops poured down, one by one, drenching them both, which only made him more intrigued as he stared at her wet clothes pressed up against her body. She looked up to the sky, closing her eyes in contentment.

He watched her for a while and then mimicked her. It didn't feel half bad. In fact, it felt nice, the little droplets of water, running down his body, healing his wounds that he had always hidden.

When he opened his eyes, he found her gazing at him. Her eyes were incredible, beautiful chocolate pools of longing, drowning him in their warmth, drawing the devil deeper into their depths.

"I have another wish."

"Say it, and I promise you, you'll get it,"

"I wanted to kiss the man I love in the rain,"

For the first time in his eternity, he felt short of breath. Did she really mean what he thought she meant?

"You… you love…,"

"I have always known that but… I guess I realized it now. This… this is the most real and the most genuine thing I have ever felt…, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I… I am in love with you,"

She licked her full lips and reached for him. He closed his mouth over hers, tasting her soft lips. The desire he had buried for the last few decades raged inside him. Cupping her cold face in his hands, he deepened the kiss, losing himself in her.

She pulled back for a second," Promise me, Damon, promise me this is forever?"

"I promise." He replied, a genuine smile playing on his lips, a smile that never graced his lips before.

..

..

Stefan glared at them with utmost hatred. She had never told him she loved him, but it took Damon only two weeks to make her fall in love with him.

He lowered his eyes, hiding behind the ice machine as they walked in the restaurant.

Hands in hands, they both looked lost in each other, talking about all sort of nonsense. He was losing her to him. It wouldn't take much longer for Elena to give up her purity to his wretched brother and offer her body to him.

He knew what he had to do. He should have done this the moment he stepped on land. He should have told her the truth about him and Damon, about the world beyond she saw. Today, she would see the face of the devil.

..

..

"We're going home tomorrow," Elena pouted.

"I offered we could run away."

"No," She said, narrowing her eyes, playfully. "I can't leave Jenna and Ric. They're the only family I have. I can't live without them."

She told him how much Jenna helped her heal when her parents died. Of course, he already knew. He'd witnessed that. "Ric is also sort of my father guardian. He takes care of me like he takes care of Alice, I wouldn't know what to do without them." She was talking to him when someone bumped into her, almost making her hot coffee fall on her dress.

"Hey, watch it," Damon warned, his eyes suddenly turning cold and merciless.

"Fuck off," The man slurred, unapologetically. He was surrounded by his friends; he wasn't intimidated by the warning at all.

"Did you say something?" He hissed, a cruel expression on his face. Elena felt a sense of déjà vu.

"I told you to fuck off with your cheap slut,"

Before Damon could react and break all his bones into pieces, she stopped him, her eyes filled with fear and horror. For a moment, she thought she saw his eyes turn blood red but then they turned normal in a blink, "No. No. He's drunk. He doesn't know what he's saying."

"But, he said-,"

"Let's leave,"

"Elena," Ignoring his protests, she pulled him away from them, dragging him further until she felt it was safe to let him go. They walked to their room. She could still hear him grumble under breath.

"You tend to lose control quickly," Elena said as she cupped his face.

He placed his hands on top of hers, savoring her touch. "I don't like it when someone disrespects you,"

"We didn't even know him. What he said didn't matter." Elena said as she settled into his lap.

"It mattered to me,"

"I've told you, I don't appreciate violence," She warned, tutting him as if he was a child.

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. As much as he was drawn to her purity sometimes he didn't like her self-righteous attitude at all. How could someone be so kind? He'd witnessed people murder their own family, hell, he was a victim too, long long time ago.

To witness someone who was so kind and forgiving seemed surreal.

Just the thought of his past darkened his mood. He felt the despair reaching his soul but then she locked her lips with his and the dark shadows of his past rushed away. He moved his lips with hers, tenderly, his hands playing with her hair. When they were out of breath, they pulled back. He rested his forehead against hers. "How could you be so forgiving?"

"Because I know…"

"Know what?"

"Despite everything… people are always good at heart. Eventually, goodness always wins."

..

..

Their make out had turned quite steamy. She was peeling her clothes off and was ready for him but despite wanting to claim her, despite the fact that he yearned for her more than anything, he couldn't take her, he just couldn't. She was too pure. He knew that once he had bedded her, he was expected to bring her to their cult. And… he didn't still know what Cade has planned.

His tough resolve was breaking. He cast a sleeping spell on her before things could get to the point where his madness for Elena could dominate his sane thoughts.

He didn't understand why he couldn't just take her. He wanted—oh—he so wanted to kiss every inch of her body and take her in every way possible, mark her from inside out and make sure that she knows that she only belonged to him. But, how could he hurt the only person who had ever loved him, the only person who had ever shown him kindness?

"Are you in your right mind, Damon?" He heard a hiss.

He turned and found Klaus standing in front of him.

Hurriedly he covered Elena's body with a comforter. "What the fuck, Klaus?"

"You had the perfect chance,"

"Are you spying on us?" He asked as his eyes narrowed in disgust.

"Don't change the topic. Cade will not be happy with this. He told you to hurry up, didn't he? You're wasting copious amount of time on this useless-,"

"One more word and I'll slit your throat," Damon warned.

"Are you changing your mind again, Devil? Do you want to visit the prison again?" Klaus threatened.

"You're threatening the King of Darkness, Klaus, mind your tone." Damon's growled. "I've told Cade and I'll tell you that I'll do things on my terms, I promised her to the cult and I always fulfill my word."

Klaus bit his cheek, glaring at him. "Cade saved her life for you, Damon, if he can give her life he can take it away too, don't forget that," And with a pop, he disappeared.

Damon balled his hands into fists, trying to suppress the mad anger. He took a deep breath and looked at the girl he was trying to protect.

He had no choice but perform the ritual tomorrow.

Tomorrow he would mark her his.

..

..

"So, so you're saying that… that Damon is… Damon is the devil my sister made a deal with, he had changed his form and he's been living with Elena all this time," Jenna's eyes widened in fear.

Stefan nodded.

"If you don't believe me, ask your daughter, she could see him," Stefan gestured to little Alice playing with her toys.

"Alice, come here," Alaric called her.

Alice rose up and hurried to her father.

"His minions had compelled her to not speak," Stefan informed them.

"Oh God," Jenna gasped. "Is that why… she was acting so… abnormal?"

"Yes,"

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Alaric demanded in a furious tone. If the Angel Warlock had told them before about the devil, they could've avoided all this. The very thought that the wicked creature tortured his baby daughter like that made his blood boil.

"I thought, I could win her heart, I was confident she would fall in love with me, but… his manipulation won,"

"We've to do something, Ric," Jenna held his hand. "We've to save Elena from him."

..

..

 _Thank you so much for your kind reviews. I am in awe of your support and love._

 _Really looking forward to your feedback on this chapter. I hope you like the romance before a major twist. Do tell me what you liked? A devil in love is a rare sight, did you enjoy that?_

 _I just read the most brilliant Eyes without a face update By Carol (Scarlett2112) and Eva and if you haven't read that story, I don't know what you've been doing._

 _Bonnie is yet to update Captive of her beauty._

 _Please do have a look at my other story, Marry Me Instead. It's romantic comedy, a story completly different than The Devil's Obession._

 _Lasly, do review because they make my day._

 _Stay safe!_


	11. The Devil's Empathy

**Chapter 11: The Devil's Empathy**

* * *

" _Do you want_ _to play with me?" The seven-year-old blonde dimpled boy asked him. Damon had always yearned to play with children but his parents never let him. They were afraid that he would somehow lose control and hurt them. He nodded, slowly walking toward his brother._

" _Who are you talking to?" Giuseppe asked his son, eyes widened._

" _Damon," Stefan said, pointing at him._

" _Don't be ridiculous, there is no one there," Giuseppe said, looking around, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. "Damon can't be here. He died years ago." He said more to himself than anyone listening. He'd murdered his unstable son years ago._

" _He's there, he's standing next to you," Stefan said, standing up on his feet._

 _Giuseppe looked around again, his face pale now. He shook his head, ignoring his son. He went to the parlor and poured himself a drink, telling himself that his mind was playing tricks on him again. Damon couldn't possibly be alive. That night when he forced poison down his elder son's throat and threw him in the abandoned well to die, he had come the next morning to check if he'd died._

 _Just like he suspected, he could still hear Damon's faint heartbeat. He was on the verge of death but he was still alive. The pastor had told him that an evil spirit resided in his son's body, he was the bearer of the key to unlock dark spirits and if they didn't get rid of him, the would all face a very ill fate and a terrible death. He had to die._

 _With a heavy heart, he dug a grave and buried his son alive near the well, hoping he would die of suffocation. He had never once come back afterward._

 _But ever since then strange events have been happening at his residence. First, his wife died a mysterious death and then his mother. They both claimed that they used to see his dead son's spirit. And now sometimes he would hear Damon's voice at night, his cries, sometimes he would feel Damon was running around the house, playing with Stefan, just like he used too._

" _Father," Stefan's voice popped his thought bubble._

" _Yes,"_

" _Damon says you killed him," His voice was robotic, almost as if someone else had taken over his body._

" _Stefan,"_

" _He says he'll kill you too,"_

"Damon… Damon…,"

When he finally opened his eyes, he found Elena hovering above him, beautiful gleaming crystal brown eyes locked with his. He had never noticed how beautiful her eyes actually were. Her eyes glittered furiously in the sunlight as if they were two huge hazel jewels. She smiled, cocking her head to a side, "Good Morning, Lover,"

"Indeed a very a good morning,"

Her soft brown hair falling in long curls upon his face, tickling his nose. He groaned, planting feathery kisses on her neck.

"Looks like you were having a bad dream." She said softly.

His eyes narrowed.

"I don't know what you were saying but you were mumbling in some other language, are you okay?" She cupped his face, making him look at her.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"What were you dreaming about?" She asked, confused.

He bit his lip, eyes downcast. "I don't remember," He could never lie to her when she looked him in the eye so whenever he had to lie, he would look at anything but her. He had been dreaming about his past again. The night he had woken up in a grave, he remembered, gasping for breath, calling for help and finally the numbness that took over his body when he breathed his final breath. His final breath before his savior darkness saved him.

He looked up to her, his eyes staring into hers and for a moment, he felt too exposed as if she could read his pain, the darkness in him, the abuse he had suffered, the demons he held. He didn't want her to know anything. He didn't want the shadow of his past touch her pure soul.

Looking down, he reached for her hands, laced their fingers together and brushed his lips against hers. Slowly, he flipped them over until he was on top. He had to make her his today. He had to claim her.

He pushed the spaghetti strap of her nightgown off one shoulder and tasted her skin along her collarbone down to her breast. He nipped at her but she pulled away, teasingly.

"Are you going to torture me?" He said, holding her arm.

"I wouldn't call it torture,"

Something flickered in his eyes but she barely noticed. He eagerly kissed her again, he tugged her nightgown down over her shoulders, baring her breasts to him. The soft satin of her skin excited him.

"I want you so much… I'm shaking all over," He whispered.

"You have me,"

He wrapped her in his embrace, loving the feel of her. His hands roamed over her, delighting in her soft feminine curves. They gave into sighs and soft touches. He cupped her breasts and marveled at their beauty.

Noticing his intense stare, she hid her face with hands, shyly.

"Do not hide from me, I have long dreamed of lying with you," He pried her hands away, pinning them to a side before taking a taut bud into his mouth, grazing it with his teeth.

A surprised cry erupted from her mouth, "Oh God, oh dear God," Everywhere he kissed, a sweet jolt of fire ignited immediately.

"The best is yet to come,"

He touched her and she withered underneath him, her eyes burning lightly. He lowered on her silken body until his face hovered above the mound at the junction of her legs. He could feel her tense up. "Don't be afraid, my queen, I'll not hurt you, I'll only love and pleasure you," He said, softly.

She nodded her chest heaving in anticipation.

"Ahh, baby, you smell so good," He whispered, as he kissed a gentle line up her thigh, drawing another gasp, "Hot, aroused, mine." The last was said with such force, she opened her mouth to comment. But her argument turned into a moan when he slid his tongue between her folds.

Every so often, he would flick her straining clit, causing a few small moans from her. "Oh God," she moaned loudly.

He smirked, thinking of the irony. _Actually, darling, call the devil._

She panted, almost gasping for breath as she moved her hips, wanton in her need.

His phone beeped, disturbing their moment but he never removed his mouth from her. She tried to ignore the ringing phone but then she reached for it and answered it. She tried to speak but her voice got caught in her throat, the pleasure was mind-numbing.

"Damon, we have an emergency," She recognized Klaus's strained voice.

"Baby," She said as she tugged on his hair, pulling him up but he protested, continuing his sweet assault on her.

"It's… It's Klaus." She said, "He says it's an emergency,"

He finally looked up, clearly upset by the interruption. He crawled up her body, and took the phone from her as he fell on a side, "What?"

"That righteous brother of yours fessed up. He told the girl's family about us, about you, they're on their way." Klaus informed.

"Shit!" He rose up, running his fingers through his hair.

"What happened?" Elena asked.

"Nothing, baby… just… work." He said as he quickly grabbed his clothes, wore it and left the room to talk privately. He demanded all the details and Klaus told him everything he knew.

Now that his girl's guardian knew who he was, they would snatch her from him. They would tell her that his human form was a facade and he was actually a devil, a demon warlock of the world of darkness. And who would ever love a demon? She would leave him. She would hate him. And he couldn't have that. He had just tasted the heady bouquet of love, as well as the ambrosia of being loved back. He couldn't give up that, could he?

"Stop them, Klaus. Do anything. They shouldn't reach here. Elena must never know who I am until I say so." He ordered, strictly.

"As you command, King of all Demons,"

..

..

"All evidence points to a serial killer attack," The police officer said to Elena, "According to the neighbors, they were in rush to go somewhere, they stopped at Miss Annabelle's house, Mr. Saltzman sister, and asked her to babysit for their daughter, they stayed there for only ten minutes and told Miss Annabelle that they were in a hurry, they had to pick you up from the Airport, their car engine died on the highway near Mystic Falls where they encountered the serial killer," The Officer's voice drowned in the background as she felt numbness take over her.

Dead.

Her only family was dead.

She was all alone.

..

..

As she stared at her house, the last of her resolve broke and the floodgates opened. She closed her eyes as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. When she opened her eyes, her brown eyes sparkled with tears _._

 _Please...not tears._ Her tears had always done weird things to him. He'd never had a clue why he hurt every time she cried.

They have just returned from the funeral back to her house. Alaric's sister Annabelle had taken Alice's custody. Now, Elena was all alone in that house where she used to live with Jenna and Alaric. The very idea scared her.

"Let's go inside," Damon whispered.

"No, no," Elena stopped him, wiping her tears. She turned to him, taking a deep breath, composing herself. "I'm fine, you should go home,"

"Of course not, I'm not leaving you alone now…," He said, hurriedly but she held her hand up, gesturing him to stop, "You don't need to be worried, I'm okay now. I… I want to be alone,"

"Baby, I can't just-,"

"Please, Damon, I'm very tired. I just want to be left alone for a while," She said, strictly. The shock of the fact that she was all alone in the world was finally sinking in. She felt anxious, scared and so lonely. She was on verge of a breakdown but she didn't want Damon to witness it. She had to act strong. After all, this wasn't the first time she had lost the people she loved.

He was a little hurt by the harshness of her tone and her demand but he nodded anyway. He bent down to kiss her cheek. She didn't blush like every time she did when he touched her neither did she smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said as she turned and walked into the house, not looking back once.

He sighed a heavy sigh, mumbling a spell to become invisible to her eyes so he could follow her in. He materialized inside, following after her to the small family room.

She was looking around the house as if she expected Jenna or Alaric to come out of any of the rooms and greet her like they always did.

While she walked, she almost stepped on Alice's toy cart but Damon moved it out of her way without her noticing. Switching on all the lights, she walked into her room, with the devil hot on her heels.

She took off her shoes and threw them in the corner. He inhaled deep, flicking his finger, transferring them to the shoe cabinet before she trips on it.

She jumped on the bed, pulling out her hairpins, letting her hair flow down her back. For a while, he was surprised at how good she handling the pain until tears filled her eyes and she broke down into heart-wrenching sobs.

Unable to bear seeing his love weeping like that, he hurried to her, sitting in front of her. His eyes furrowed in concern, his soul suddenly burning in desperation. She looked up, pleading to God that she couldn't live without her family, she needed her parents again, she needed Jenna and Alaric, she missed them too much. She said that she hoped that it was a dream and that she would wake up to find them next to her.

"Does it hurt so much? Does losing someone you love hurts so much?" He asked her, knowing she couldn't hear him.

She covered her face with her hands, weeping in them.

Her torment terrified him. The ache of losing your loved ones seemed terrible. Since he had never had anyone to love so he never had to feel it. But witnessing her agony, today, frightened him. If he ever lost her, he would be lost. He wouldn't know what to do.

He moved closer to her, running his fingers through her hair, making her look up. She looked around, startled by the sudden touch. A slow breeze dried her tears, and the sweet gust played with her hair.

A strand of her hair released itself from behind her ear and fell on her nose. She suddenly felt much drowsy than she had ever been as if she had taken a sleeping potion. Even sitting up she could barely keep her eyes open.

She could feel someone push her back on the bed, helping her lay down, pulling comforter on top of her. She tried to see who it was. But even with much focus, she couldn't see anyone around. However, she did recognize the beautiful scent, the scent she loved. "Damon," She whispered his name before she fell asleep.

She had the most beautiful dreams, she dreamed about her loved ones, she relived a life with them in her dream world, the world he gifted her. She slept the most peaceful sleep ever, for tonight the devil was watching over her.

..

..

Casting a safety spell on his beloved's house, Damon was just about to leave when he spotted Stefan, sitting on the roof of the neighboring house, his white wings wide open.

"You have sinned, Devil," Stefan said in a grave tone.

"I don't have time for this," Damon shook his head, rolling his eyes. He was already very worried and upset after watching Elena's torment.

"How do you claim to love her when you gave her so much pain?" Stefan asked as he jumped down the roof and landed gracefully on his feet.

"I don't need to prove my love for Elena to you," Damon stepped forward, hands folded on his chest, eyes red with anger. How dare Stefan challenge the purity of his love?

"Your obsession with her destroyed her today. You've carved a wound so deep in her soul that no magic in the world could heal. You took away her only family, Damon. Now every tear she cries would be because of you." As much as he despised Stefan, Damon knew deep down that his brother wasn't entirely wrong.

"I didn't order them to be killed." Damon hissed.

"You're not the killer?"

"No. But I know who he is." Damon replied, murmuring a spell to open his dark wings. "And I will make sure he pays for his sin,"

..

..

"When I told you to stop her guardians, I meant for you to compel them not kill them," He growled, throwing Klaus into the pit full of thorns.

"Why? Does the devil care about pesky humans now too?" He snarled back.

"I don't give a fuck." He growled.

"Then why am I here again?"

"They were Elena's only relatives alive," Damon hissed. "How dare you harm them?"

"I was told by the King of Evil to do anything to prevent them from reaching your Elena." Klaus hissed back, "So I did what I did,"

"Klaus, you're-,"

"You care about the girl, don't you? You care that she's hurting. You don't like tears in her eyes. You care that she's broken hearted and all alone,"

"Yes," Damon accepted without thinking twice, "I care,"

"But you said that you didn't, you gave Cade your word,"

"I lied." Damon's eyes gleamed red. "I am the devil after all,"

"Now, this is precious, a devil who cares," Klaus said, getting up. "You know what care leads to right? Love and you don't want to go down that road again. She is a human, Damon. She'll cry a couple of days and then she'll get over it." He said, jumping out of the pit, standing in front of the Devil. "Their emotions are temporary. Human emotions last for… days, weeks, maybe years but they move on. Their grief, their happiness, their gratitude, their love," Klaus smirked at the last part, "Nothing lasts forever…"

"So won't you," The warlock grabbed him around his neck, tightening his hold to suffocate him.

"Stop. Stop." Klaus pleaded. "Damon, what are you doing?"

"You don't deserve to live anymore. You're going back to where you came from. The Hell. You have to make up for every tear she shed," He growled, his eyes gleaming blood red, his face changing into his demon form.

"Damon… Stop. I… I did it on Cade's order," He accepted.

"What?" Damon stopped, shocked.

"We thought you would have performed the ritual before we've killed her remaining family," Klaus said, struggling to breathe.

"Explain," Damon spat as he threw Klaus into the pit again.

"Cade's orders. I can't speak another word."

"You will!" Damon ordered as he materialized a sharp dagger, "Unless you want to go back to the deepest pit of hell,"

Klaus swallowed thickly, nodding in defeat. "According to Cade, the fates never intended for you to have her,"

"What?" Damon hissed. "No. No. No. She's only mine. Elena belongs to me. The fates had destined her for no one but me."

"She was born a timeline away, how did you even think she was destined for you?" Klaus said, annoyed.

"I sacrificed my heart for her to live. I'm the reason she's alive. She was made for me,"

"When you bed her, your soul will merge with hers, you'll be able to corrupt her soul and tear out her purity, you will have three options, either you'll give her up and compel her to forget that you ever existed,"

"Unacceptable," Damon growled.

"or you could keep her forever but Cade will have the power over her mind, she'll be his willing slave, she would submit to darkness and will obey it with her heart, her soul would be as good as gone, her body would be an empty vessel and I don't think you'll ever want her like that. You're enchanted with her purity. On the other hand, Cade has some… some plans for her, I don't know what but I know it's not good and if you tried to stop him, he'll make her leave you,"

"Unacceptable again. My mate only belongs to me, and I'd kill us both before she decides to leave me,"

"Or you could give up your powers and run away with her. But… you know Cade will find you someday and when he does... it won't be a pretty sight."

"No, that's not possible," Damon said, thoughtfully. He can't possibly give up his powers. The very idea scared him. Being a warlock was the only way he knew to live, and he liked it. He was nothing without his powers.

"Either way, Devil, once you bed her you'll have to tear off her purity and give her up to the cult for the greater good," Klaus said.

"Screw the cult and screw Cade," Damon hissed.

"Devil…"

"No!" Damon growled. "I'll not give up the one bit of happiness life gave me, she's mine and if someone tried to snatch her from me, I will destroy them!" His blood red eyes gleamed dangerously as he hissed every word.

"You don't have a choice, you promised Cade that you'll lure her to the cult, you can't break your vow," Klaus said with a sinister smile. "The darkness gives you the power you pride in, Damon. The choice is yours. Love or Power?"

Damon looked at him, a little hesitant. _Elena._ His heart answered. _Love._

"I know her love seems tempting right now, you want it more than anything, your need for her surpasses your greed for power. But, Damon, don't you remember how she forgot you in the span of weeks when Cade prisoned you. She went to your enemy and promised her love to him. Her love is temporary. Her promises aren't real." Klaus said he circled Damon. He clicked his fingers and the images of Elena and Stefan filled the dull walls.

"Her parents died but she's living, isn't she? She moved on. You'll witness her struggles to move on from the grief of the death of her only relatives. Devil, she can move on from you too. Leave that, if I tell her now that I killed her only relatives on your orders-,"

"I didn't order-,"

"She won't even give a second thought to your devotion, for all the things that you did for her, she would leave you in a heartbeat, she would hate you forever. Her words of love, her promises of forever, wouldn't last a minute." Klaus said, clicking his finger again. An illusion self of him and Elena appeared in front of him. Illusion Elena's eyes sparkled with hatred and disdain as she glared at his illusion form.

"But if you have power, you can trap her forever, she'll never be able to escape you, she will have to love you—as long as you don't get in Cade's way, you'll have her forever," Klaus whispered. "So what's it's going to be, power or love?"

..

..

"He chose power, my lord," Klaus informed Cade.

Cade walked around the room filled with the scent of spells and potions, looking into a magical crystal ball.

"Is that so?" Cade said, playing with the crystal ball. "I can't stop him from loving her but I haven't lost control over him. He's still my slave and he'll do my biddings. It's good. His fears are good for me. The love of that girl might make him rebellious but I have his fears that I can use to control him." He mumbled to himself. "You did your job well, Klaus." Cade praised him.

"My Lord's pleasure is my achievement," Klaus bowed.

"You'll be rewarded with the highest rank by our Lord, it's only a matter of time before we break out the Lord of Darkness from the imprisonment he'd been suffering for centuries. We'll rule the world again," He whispered, with a menacing look.

..

..

He didn't understand why she kept avoiding him. Not that he left her alone. He was still on her side all the time, in his invisible form, of course. But it annoyed him that whenever he called her, she wouldn't either answer and even if she did she would tell him she was busy with work when they both knew she hasn't been to work ever since Jenna and Alaric's funeral. He tried visiting her in his human form but she wouldn't open the door, putting up the pretense that she wasn't at home.

He had never seen someone so broken. Whenever she wept, he felt his heartbreaking too. As a warlock of darkness, he had always been merciless and cruel. He had lured countless criminals and serial murderers to commit the sin of spilling blood. It was the highest of highest sin a devil could commit. But did he ever think about the loved ones that the dead left behind? About their pain?

No. Not until now. Not until the only person that he ever loved was going through the agony.

" _You have sinned,"_ He remembered Stefan's words and as he looked at her tears he realized that indeed he did. And for the very first time, he was ashamed.

"Okay, enough," He said to her, watching her look at the family album for the umpteenth time today. He stood up and clicking his finger, materializing on her front door in his human form. He knocked on her door, repeatedly, "Elena, I know you're in there. Open the door already,"

He heard her footsteps reaching the door but she stood quietly, not opening the door. Maybe she thought that if she kept quiet he'll give up and leave her alone.

"I know you're there, Elena." He said, "Open the door or at least move aside so I can break it open,"

He heard her hiss in frustration before she finally opened the door. Her eyes were red and puffy, her nose pink and swollen. "What do you want, Damon? I told you I'll call you when I feel like it, would you please leave me be?"

"No." He said as he walked inside, not having any of her attitude.

She sighed in annoyance.

He walked into her room with a familiar air, as if he'd always been here as if he owned the place.

"I… I have to clean the place up," Elena said, uncomfortably as she looked around her messy room. He shrugged, not giving it much thought, he was used to her cluttered room, by now. Of course, she didn't know that.

"It's okay, come here," He said, holding her hand, making her sit on the bed next to him. "How are you doing?"

"I… I'm fine." She replied a little too quickly.

"Puffy eyes, swollen nose and smelly clothes, no, baby, you're not fine," He said, rolling his eyes.

"I've just been too busy with work-,"

"You haven't been to work, don't lie."

"So what if I haven't?" She said harshly. "I don't have to give you explanations,"

"I'm not asking for-,"

"I want to be alone, why can't you understand that?"

"I can't, and I won't leave you alone anymore, and you're just going to have to get used to that. I know you're hurting but you need to understand that they're gone, grieving after them won't bring them back. You need to move on,"

"Easy for you to say," She hissed. "You never had anyone to love, you don't know how much it hurts to lose the people you love,"

"I love you," He said, reaching for her hand, "And you don't know how much it hurts to see you hurt,"

She stood up, a conflict of emotions on her face. She turned around, rubbing her knuckles in nervousness. "I don't appreciate this. I don't want you to poke your nose in my business. What I do shouldn't concern you." She spat, harshly.

"It does concern me, you're mine, anything that has the slightest connection to you concerns me,"

"What if I don't want to be yours anymore?"

His eyes gleamed with a murderous gaze, and she swore she saw a mix of blood red and gold flick in his eyes. But as soon as she blinked his eyes turned normal.

"What are you saying?"

"I think we shouldn't be together," Her voice broke when she said that, her face looked pained.

"Why? I… Did I do something wrong?"

She fell back on the bed, holding her head in her head. "You didn't do anything wrong. You're… you're too perfect, it's me."

"That's the oldest excuse in the book." He rolled his eyes, "What is it, Elena?"

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she clenched her teeth to keep them from running freely. "I am cursed, Damon. Everyone I love leaves me," She said softly with extreme sadness and defeat in her voice. Her tone was filled with agony, tinted with loneliness. She paused, seemingly lost in thought. "Everyone I love dies," She looked up, finally locking eyes with him. "If something happened to you, I wouldn't be able to bear it,"

He gathered her into his arms and held her head against his chest, letting her cry it out. "Why would you think you're cursed? You're my slice of heaven,"

She murmured something about how she was cursed and how if he stayed with her, he'll die too, just like everyone she loved. She told him she overheard a couple of townies talk about how she brought bad luck to whoever stayed with her. They believed she was surrounded by a dark force. But he comforted her and told her that it was all in her mind. Her family's death was just a game of fate. It had nothing to do with her.

In her sadness he saw himself, he recalled how everyone thought he was cursed because he had mystical powers. How people used to fear him whenever he passed by. They hated him because he spoke to spirits that were invisible to human eyes. They hated him because he could predict death. They thought he was casting a curse on them. Some of the older children and their parents even threw stones at him, out of spite and hatred, whenever he sneaked out of the house to play at the park.

Once a neighbor had beaten him to near death because he predicted his younger brother's death. His prediction came true and the child did die of an accident.

After that incident, his parents kept a strict eye on him and never let him out of the house. His parents still never defended him, at the end of the day, they murdered him, at least his human form.

But he would protect Elena, he would protect her from the world.

He pulled her closer, playing with her hair, telling her that he would rather be dead than leave her.

"It's okay to mourn as long as you know you'll move on," He said, while he murmured a sleeping spell.

..

..

It took a week but Elena realized that it was no used to cry over dead, they weren't coming back, she had to move on. She didn't know how she got the strength overnight but she did. Damon visited her regularly, and despite her cold behavior, stayed with her and even when he wasn't around she always felt that he was.

However, he'd left early in the morning, leaving her a note that he was off for an important work and he'll pick her from the hospital in the evening.

When she reached work, she found a white rose, placed on her table waiting for her, along with an I love you note. For the first time in a long while, she smiled, staring at the note.

While she worked, she realized how refreshing it was to get out of the house, and how silly it was to put a pause to her life. She dreaded going back to her empty house that was filled with the memories of her loved ones.

Doctor Stefan tried to talk to her, asking how she was doing and how saddened he was by the news of Jenna and Alaric's death. Elena nodded, casually not answering him. She still hasn't gotten over how he tried to manipulate her into thinking Damon was a serial killer and he had murdered his own family. And despite his several tries to get her to talk to him, alone, she refused to even look at him.

In late afternoon, she suddenly didn't feel well. Stefan offered to take her home but she rejected his offer and decided to go downtown Fight club to see her boyfriend. She didn't know why but she had a bad feeling he was hurt. A part of her was always paranoid that she would lose him too. She wasn't sure if he would be in the fight club but she figured she should check there first.

..

..

Damon had summoned a phantom to search for a very famous witch that resided in the underworld. By now he knew that Cade had a specific agenda with Elena and he had to know what it was. He didn't trust Klaus anymore neither did he trust Cade.

The phantom returned informing him that Sage, the witch of the underworld was hiding in a graveyard of the lost souls. He clicked his fingers, appearing at his destination.

"I was expecting you," Sage said, without looking up. "Long time no see, Devil."

"I was busy," He replied as he stepped toward her.

"I know. Wooing your mate and all… your Elena is a very trending topic in the underworld," She replied, looking up from the small fishbowl where she had trapped wicked souls. "How can I help you?"

"Petrova blood. I need to know everything about their line. Cade has very deep interest in my future mate, it's a bit concerning,"

"Of course, it is, Cade's no good." She said, smirking wickedly. "But I'm afraid I can't help you much, I don't know a lot about Queen Petrova's descendants."

Damon threw a blood bag near her foot, she caught it before it could spill. "Mmm. Blood of the innocent virgins,"

"The purest," He added, "Now, does that help you recall?"

"Why, yes, it does. Thousands of years ago, the world was our realm. The creatures of night ruled it until the deadly war that we lost against the goodness. Queen Tamara Petrova helped the cult of goodness lock deadly spirits and the Lord of Darkness and Shadow in hell. We were all forced to hide in the graveyards and barren towns to save our lives." She explained, looking greedily at the blood bags in his hands.

"Elena is Tamara's descendant,"

"Yes,"

"And she will be the one who'll break out the Lord of Darkness?"

"I don't know that. I don't think it's that easy. Queen Tamara is the original witch. Her power has no parallel in the history, The Darkness Lord is he who grants us all power, if he couldn't break out from the hell, I doubt a human girl could release him," Sage replied, inching closer, trying to take the bags from him.

He pushed her away, almost throwing her on the ground. "Do you know anything more? The ritual to bring back our Lord?"

"The last time warlocks tried to do that, they ended up dead, and their souls lie trapped in the prison world, forever lost."

He was about to inquire more when he felt a pull from the human world. He clicked his fingers and the illusion of his queen appeared in midair. She was on her way to the downtown fight club in search of him.

"Can… can I have those?" Sage asked, pointing at the warm blood he brought to bribe her.

"Nah, you didn't help much." He said, turning to leave, "But I might reward you next time if you proved helpful. Until then, Chao."

..

..

The crowd cheered as the two fighters fought. She slowly made her way through the crowd to the front row. Her eyes furrowed when she noticed one of the fighters was her boyfriend.

The dim light slanted across the floor, falling on his skin, turning it a golden hue. His dark hair glistened. Every time he moved, his muscles flexed in a rhythmic flow, a slow dance of spiraling movement that she couldn't look away from. He kept his eyes focused straight ahead on the fighter, blocking all his moves.

She winced when the other fighter finally managed to hurt him, kicking him in the knee but Damon recovered fast. He moved like lightning and took one glancing strike to the other fighter's face jolting his head to the side. The crowd shrieked, a discordant clash of approval and denial.

Damon swung around the big man, latched on his arm and threw him on the floor, repeatedly kicking him in the gut until the other fighter tapped his hand against the floor, submitting.

The crowd erupted in cheers as the referee declared her boyfriend the winner. His eyes fell on her and widened for a second before he winked at her. He turned his attention back to the crowd, raising his hands, celebrating his win.

..

..

"You told me, you accept me for who I am," Damon said, smirking as she tapped cotton ball against the wound near his eye.

"Yes, I did, but I thought we decided you'll try to stay away from violence." She said, making a face as she concentrated on cleaning his wounds.

"I don't have a job and I have to pay the rent, I needed quick cash," He said, biting his lower lip.

"You could've asked from me," Elena said, glaring at him. "You didn't have to do this," She said, as she turned to pick up the bandage. "Sometimes I think you do this on purpose, to get a rise out of me,"

"Well, I do get all your attention when I'm hurt," He said with a slight grin.

"You don't need to hurt yourself to get my attention," She said, frowning. "Seriously, Damon, one of these days, you'll seriously hurt yourself, stop being so reckless," She chided him as if he was a child. Slowly, ever so lightly, she covered his gash with a bandage. "You know… Annabelle wants the house for herself, she had hinted too many times that I should move out," She said quietly.

"She did," Damon hissed, a murderous look covering his face. How dare she? It was Jenna's house and as her only blood relative, Elena held the ownership of that house

"I want to leave that house too. I… I want to start over,"

He looked up, he knew what she was going to say next. Secretly he had been giving her dreams about their life together, a little glimpse of how better it would be if she lived with him.

"If… if it's okay with you, can I move in with you? We can split the rent." She said, a little hesitant, " But, it's okay, if you don't want too."

"No. No." He held her hand, "Of course, you can move in."

"Are you sure?"

"Really, Elena. How can you think I'll deny a chance to live with you," He rolled his eyes. "So, when are you moving in?"

..

..

She had just packed her final bag. She looked around the empty house, taking in every sight for the last time. She had no plans to ever return.

She turned to find her boyfriend inches away from her, his face so close to her that she could feel his breath.

"Oh." She gasped. "You scared me,"

He leaned in to peck her lips before he pulled away. "Ready?"

She nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Let's go," He said as he took the bag from her hand, his other hand on the small of her back. They have just reached the door when they found Stefan standing outside.

"Doctor Stefan," Elena murmured.

"What the fuck is he up to?" She heard Damon whisper in annoyance.

Stefan was accompanied by a beautiful blonde girl, dressed in casual clothing. There was something so strange about that woman. Her face was angelic, her aura so pure as if she had never done wrong.

"Elena, where are you going?" Stefan asked her, surprised.

Elena looked around uncomfortably. She still didn't like to talk to him other than necessary. But she couldn't exactly avoid him when he addressed her directly.

"What's it to you?" Damon spoke on her behalf.

"I'm talking to Elena,"

Before Damon could reply, Elena held his hand, a gesture to ask him to calm down. "Why are you here, Stefan?"

"I have something very important to tell you," Stefan said, "and this time, I have a valid proof,"

Damon glared at him, a little worried inwardly that Stefan might fess up to Elena.

"Stefan, I don't have time for this," Elena said, making a face. "Damon, let's go,"

"It's about Jenna and Alaric." Stefan interrupted.

Elena stopped in her tracks. She looked at Damon, worried and found a mirroring expression on his face. She could feel his body tense up. What was happening?

"What… what about Jenna and Alaric?"

"Elena, the police reports say that they were murdered by a psychopathic serial killer but I have a proof that their murder was pre-planned." Stefan said, confidently. "This is my friend Rebekah and she witnessed their murder, she claims she can recognize him,"

..

..

 _Thank you all for your immense support. Lately, I've been down and your kind words really helped me. Thank you, DE fandom for supporting me so much._

 _Sometimes, writing seems hard and there have been times when I've thought of giving up writing but your sweet messages and comments keep my spirits high and feed my muse._

 _I hope you like the chapter, the story is finally building up. Unknowingly Elena is redeeming Damon but can he really change? His past is one of the factors that will get in their way. Will she hate him and blame him for Jenna and Alaric's murder? A lot of questions would be answered in future chapters._

 _Do review. I love whatever you write to me. I'll be waiting for your comments._


	12. The Devil's Tears

**Chapter 12: 'The Devil's Tears'**

* * *

The case of Jenna and Alaric had been reopened. When Stefan first came to her with a girl and told her that he knew someone who had witnessed Jenna and Alaric's murder, Elena didn't believe him. Stefan told her that Rebekah had already given an official statement to the police and he had only come here to inform her. A couple of minutes later she received the call from sheriff relating the murder case.

Liz told her that Rebekah had recorded that the murderer was a tall, twenty-four-year-old man with dirty blonde hair. The man wasn't local, he had come from some other town. He had a big scar on his left shoulder. Unfortunately, Rebekah couldn't see his face so she couldn't exactly tell who it was. However, she did hear his voice and she claimed she could recognize it anywhere.

"Mr. Saltzman tried to save Miss Jenna. But the killer was too strong. He shot him twice but it was like he was some supernatural being, the bullet didn't affect him at all. He slammed Mr. Saltzman against the car and shot him with his own gun. Then he ran after Miss Jenna. Miss Jenna shouted something, something about she knew who he was and who sent him. Something about a deal with the devil. She tried to fight him, she really did but…," she trailed off when Elena whimpered.

"I'm sorry you have to hear that," Stefan reached for her to comfort her but she stopped him, holding her hand up.

She sunk to her knees, hiding her face into her hands, sobbing.

Was this how it felt to feel guilty? Damon thought. He could feel the pain that she felt in her heart. He kneeled to his knees next to her, he pulled her into his arms, running his fingers through her hair. "Hey, you'll be fine," He tries to soothe her.

"I don't have anyone anymore," The feeling of despair was sinking in again.

"I am here," He whispered.

"You should go too. I'm cursed. You'll die if you stay with me,"

"Hey. No. Never, I'll never leave you," He vowed, as he slowly, moved her hands away from her face, looking into her eyes.

"Promise?" It was more of a plea than a demand.

"Promise." The intensity with which he looked at her told her that he meant it.

"You're moving out," Stefan interrupted their moment. He couldn't bear it, the look in her eyes when she looked at the creature of hate. How could one love him?

"Yes," She said, wiping her tears.

And before he could argue more, Damon told Elena to go stand by the cab while he locked all the doors. He kissed the top of her head, taking her bags from her hand. "Go,"

She did as told and left.

"She's not wrong when she said she's cursed," Stefan commented, "She is indeed cursed. The devil is in love with her, what's a bigger curse than that? Your kind was thrown out of the heaven, surely you'll bring her nothing but suffering,"

He ignored Stefan's harsh words and moved to close the door.

"How do you sleep at night, knowing that you're the reason why she'd been suffering?"

"I think he sleeps just fine," They heard a cold, amused voice from the back. They turned and found Klaus, smirking by the door. "You called?"

"Yeah, I need you to take all her stuff to our apartment, I need to be with her right now," Damon said to Klaus ignoring Stefan.

Klaus rolled his eyes at the demand but complied to the order.

"I'll not tell her that the killer is your… minion but I promise you she'll figure that out herself and after she does, she'll hate you,"

"Don't you get tired of boasting?" Damon commented, looking at Stefan with a tired expression. "Get a life,"

"Baby?" He heard Elena's voice from outside.

"Coming, dear," He replied. He gestured Klaus to follow them. He stepped toward Rebekah, who seemed confused by the situation, what the hell was going on?

"You didn't hear anything here, you didn't see anything, you left after you told Elena everything about her aunt's murder,"

She nodded immediately, a dazed look covering her face.

"Goodbye, brother,"

..

..

He leaned down and claimed her mouth for himself, feeling her lips part under his and groaning as he let his tongue explore her mouth like he had imagined so many times, a time when he was forced to stay away from her.

Elena sighed and let herself enjoy it, wrapping her arms around his waist and then slowly pulling herself into his lap so she was straddling him. He groaned. "You feel amazing," he whispered. "So do you," she said, kissing his temples, his forehead, his eyelids, and working to unbutton his shirt.

His kisses always soothed her. She always felt complete when she was in his arms. All the feeling of emptiness, all the pain went away the second his lips touched hers.

He swept his tongue into her mouth. He loved the taste of her. But as her hands drew lower, he froze. She'd been hinting him for quite a while now that she wanted him. She wanted to go to bed with him and know what it felt like to become completely one flesh with him. And he wanted it too. More than anything in the world. He wanted to claim his mate and make her his. But the uncertain future and the consequences of the deed stopped him. He wanted to be selfish, he wanted to take what was rightfully his. But he couldn't be selfish by her. He just couldn't.

Ever since she moved in with him. She had been a temptation. Every time he saw her in her skinny jeans that hugged her legs like a second skin he felt himself harden. The craving to bury himself between her thighs surged and assaulted him once more. He found himself feeling envious and jealous of everything that touched her.

He didn't know how long he could stand. So he worked fast. He assigned his servants to search for anything he could find about Queen Tamara Petrova. He drowned himself in old books and visited places that held the slightest history regarding Petrova clan.

Noticing that he'd been disappearing again a lot, Elena demanded where he went when she was at work. He was just thinking of an answer when Klaus answered on his behalf and told her, that he was on contract with the fight club and he had to fight another six months before his tenure expired. This gave him an excuse to disappear and avoid her questions.

Of course, she never approved of it. But she figured that he couldn't fight a legal battle since he was almost broke, so with a heavy heart, she 'allowed' him to fight for another six months but she made him promise that he would leave the sinful deeds as soon as his contract expired.

Naturally, he promised her.

At nights when he returned she would tend to all his wounds, ready with her first aid box. She would flinch whenever he hissed, at the contact of antiseptic and kissed him senseless to soothe his pain. She was very sensitive about him. She had lost all her loved ones and she couldn't imagine losing him. She cried at his pain, and worried over his health.

Just yesterday, she had surprisingly showed up at the fight club. Klaus had informed him at the last moment. He clicked his finger and appeared in the fighting arena. He fought his opponent, expertly while she watched. He knew every time he allowed his rival to hit him, she hissed as if feeling his pain. He then won the fight. Winking at Elena, he blew a kiss at her. A slight blush covered her skin but she still pretended to be upset. Later, she threw a fit at how bad he had hurt his arm and how worried she was for him.

He loved it. He loved that she cared so much. He loved that she felt his pain just as he did hers.

Tonight, he had skipped the fight club charade and reached home before she did. He welcomed her with a kiss and hugged for a long while before she finally pushed him away to freshen up.

Just as she came out after changing into her PJs, he told her the dinner was ready and served. With a wave of his hand, the food was cooked and served before she even turned to face the table. She was surprised since she'd just seen the table empty a few minutes ago. But she didn't question her thoughts. Maybe, she didn't remember it correctly.

After they were done, she dragged him to the room and pushed him the bed. She told him about her day and also how Stefan tried to talk to her everytime he found her alone. He rolled his eyes at that. But he was glad she didn't give him her attention at all. She still hadn't forgiven him for what he did.

They made out for what seemed like forever and just when she was about to undress him, he held her hands, putting a stop to what was about to happen next.

"What?" Elena asked, surprised, her lips still caressing him softly.

"Baby, I think-,"

"I want to," She said, eagerly. "I want to be with you… for real." He knew what she meant.

"I do too but this is your first time… and I… think that we should wait,"

"You don't want me." She suddenly felt too vulnerable. Was she not good enough? Did he not find her attractive? A few months ago, he was always eager to get her into bed. What happened now?

"Of course, I do," He cupped her face. "I want you, baby, I want you so bad that it hurts," He wished he could tell her the truth, he really did. He wished he could confess to the intensity of his feelings for her.

"Then… why not now?"

Seeing the vulnerability in her eyes, his heart melted. He kissed her forehead tenderly. She closed her eyes at the contact. He flipped them over, getting on top of her.

He wound his fingers in the tumble of her hair and kissed her with a passion that made the earth shift beneath her. She couldn't think, couldn't catch her breath, and losing all will, gave herself up to the passion that burned brightly in her soul. Slowly he dragged his lips from hers, tracing the slope of her jaw and the length of her neck with his tongue. He rimmed the circle of bones at the base of her throat and just as he lowered to her chest, she felt a sharp nib.

"Ahh." She gasped.

"Baby, you okay?" He pulled away from her, sitting next to her.

"I… I-uhh, I think… I think I got my period," She said, sitting up, embarrassed.

His face softened, a soft understanding smile on his lips, "It's okay. It's fine…,"

"I… I am so embarrassed, I don't know, this is not even close to my usual date," She rambled on.

"Hey. Hey." He inched closer, holding her hands. "It's fine. Maybe it wasn't meant for today. I'll make you mine some other day," He said, nuzzling into her hair.

Her eyes showered affection when she looked at him. She was in awe of how understanding he was.

"I… need to clean up, I should-,"

"Do you need help?"

"No. No. I'll do it myself. I'll be back in a bit," she said pecking his cheek before she hurried to the washroom and closed the door behind her.

He sighed a sigh of relief. This was a close call. He had used far too magic today. It wasn't easy manipulating human body. He needed to feed before his power drained. But how? He couldn't do it without her noticing.

Just then, she came out of the washroom, pulling her shirt lower to cover her bare legs.

"Come'ere," He said, offering her his hand.

She placed her hand on his. He pulled her to bed, and wrapped her in his arms. He murmured a sleeping spell under breath. In no time, her eyelids felt heavy, she whispered goodnight and fell asleep.

A couple of minutes later, he whispered a spell again. His spirit was pulled free from his human body. He turned to look at her in a tight embrace with his human body, a body with no soul and no life. He had limited time to feed, he needed to return to his body before dawn.

He ran his fingers through her hair, chanting a safety spell. Of course, he would never leave her unprotected. Once, he was done, he clicked his finger and disappeared in thin air.

..

..

On the weekends, they usually preferred to stay in but this time, they decided to go for a picnic at the local park. One hand holding the basket and the other holding her hand, they walked happily down the street to the park she had always loved.

But as they took a turn, she stopped him.

"What?"

She didn't reply, she only took out a sandwich and hurried to a corner. There was a smelly, homeless man, in dire need of a shower, sitting by the roadside. "How's everything going?" She asked kindly.

"You know how it goes, Elena," The man said tiredly.

"Here, I brought you a sandwich for a change," She said as she offered.

"Thank you, Elena," The man took her offering, a look of gratitude on his face.

She rushed back to him, clasping his hand tightly in hers.

He didn't ask her why she did it or if she knew any more homeless people down the street by name. Goodness was a part of her soul and it had always allured him. Her kind heart was what he fell for in the first place.

They took a spot under the big tree. She took out a book to read while he laid down his head in her lap, closing his eyes in content. Softly, she ran her fingers through his hair. She would take her eyes off the book now and then, and look at him with tender eyes, gazing at his sleeping face.

After a while, she asked him if he wanted to eat. He refused, perfectly happy with the way they were right now. Yet, she took out an apple from the fruit basket and took a bite, then offered it to him. They always shared food so it wasn't new for him but the gesture always melted him.

"What are you reading?" He asked looking up to her, playing with the strands of her hair that tickled his nose.

"It's a book about a girl, her love, her life, her dream man." She answered, smiling, taking her eyes off the book.

"Hmm." He said, as he rose up and sat. He looked at her for a while watching her drowned in the book. Feeling mischievous, he took the book from her, and pressed his lips to her, catching her off-guard. Surprised first but soon she melted into the kiss, circling her hands around his neck, pulling him closer.

"What was that for?" She asked when he pulled back for a while to allow her to catch her breath.

"Nothing. Just… I love you," He mumbled against her lips.

"I love you too," She said, placing a hand on his face.

They talked about all sort of things for a while, life, work, future.

"What about you, tell me, about your love, life, dream guy?" He said gesturing to the book, nuzzling into her hair.

"It's going to be a very short conversation," A chuckle escaped her lips.

"Why?"

"It's you. Love. Life. Dream guy," Her eyes shone with adoration.

For anyone it was just another confession of love, but to him, it meant more than anything in the world. It was maybe one of the most precious moments of his life, the one defining moment, that he swore that he'll always do right by her.

..

..

Damon halted the bike in front of the hospital and flung his leg across to steady it. Elena jumped down, landing gracefully on her feet. She turned to him, beaming.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "See you tonight,"

"Counting down every second," He replied with a dramatic sigh.

She let out a girlish giggle. Inching closer, she pecked his lips. "Are you sure you don't want me to go the interview with you to support you?" She asked. She'd been insisting he looks up a decent job, even though she knew he was still supposed to be in contract with the fight club.

Her reasons were understandable; she just couldn't deal with another loss. She'd suffered enough. She told him that she felt anxious and restless whenever he was out on his 'job' risking his life.

"I'm a big boy, I'm sure I can go on my own," He joked, his signature smirk playing on his lips.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes at his antics, "Best of luck," She gave him a good luck kiss, he pulled her close, attempting to savor every moment, he got. She kissed him back eagerly before she pulled back giggling, "Go,"

He pouted but nodded. He put on his helmet, reviving the engine.  
"Bye," She waved.

"Bye," He replied, as he zoomed past her, speeding down the road.

She stood there for a while, looking at him until he was out of sight. She had just turned when she bumped into a rock hard chest.

"Oh, sorry-," She was about to continue when she looked up and recognized the man standing in front of her. It was the same homeless man that she helped now and then. "Mr. Cade?"

"Hello, Elena," He replied, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.  
"Is everything alright? I've never seen you leave your spot,"

"Everything is fine, I just didn't feel like that place today," He mumbled, sitting tiredly on the roadside.

"Are you feeling well? Do you feel chest ache again? Would you like me to call the doctor?" she said, worriedly.

"No. No, my dear." He replied, softly. "However, I would like some food… if it isn't much inconvenience… I haven't eaten since yesterday," He said, weakly.

"Of course, of course, I'll be right back," Elena replied, hurriedly as she rushed inside.

As soon as she went inside, Klaus appeared in thin air. "My Lord, what is this?"

"Niklaus, what are you doing here?" He demanded, his face contorted into worried expressions.

"I was… appointed by Damon to keep her safe," Klaus replied uncertainly. "But, what's this…,"

"It seems that I have to include you in my plan. Very well. Follow me,"

..

..

Once she was gone to work, he drove a little further and then parked the bike in a corner. He closed his eyes, murmuring a spell and found himself in the graveyard of lost souls.

"You called?" He said, facing Sage. Her face was bloodstained, it looked like she had just fed.

She wiped the blood of her lips with her finger, sucked on it, savoring the taste. "Aha. I have what you wanted."

Finally, the first good news of the day. "Queen Tamara's history?"

"Yes, finally." She said with a wicked smile. "But before we start, I want something in exchange for my services?"

"Of course, the blood-,"

"Not the blood, Devil. I can get it on my own. I want something else," She said, waving her hand. A chair appeared out of nowhere behind her and she sat on it.

He flicked his finger, mimicking her act.

"And what's that?"

"You'll know soon," she murmured, "But give me your word, you owe me and when I ask you to pay for the favor I did for you, you'll give it to me, no question asked."

"I'm not playing these games," He said, getting up. In their world, the dealings were never as straightforward as it seemed.

"You're not the only one who's been eager for someone to love," She said hurriedly. "I don't want power or blood or anything of that sort. I want you to help me release Finn from the prison world."

"That's impossible," He said in a firm tone. "The chief has sentenced him, only he can release him."

"But-,"

"The chief's word is law," He said, strictly.

"Ha! Is that so? Well then brace yourself, my dear friend, for what I'm about to tell you next might give you the shock of your life," She said with a hiss. "Your Elena is the descendant of the Queen of Angels, Queen Tamara. When she prisoned the lord of Darkness in the hell, she died in the process. Her blood sealed the doors to hell forever. There was no hope for us. Without our Lord, we were all doomed. We could only survive so long as someone sinned." She took a deep breath; a cold evil look came on her face.

"Until Cade found out about the only way to break the seal." She waved her hand and a grave opened, revealing a bloodied corpse. The body looked a thousand-year-old, yet it was not bloated or decomposed. It was holding a couple of very old, oil stained parchments in its hand as if they have just been placed.

She snatched the parchments from its hand, "According to the scriptures, the door could only be unsealed if the Petrova line is corrupted by a demon that had been wronged since birth, and then offered for the sacrifice on a full moon night," She read and then threw the scriptures at his feet.

He picked it up, reading it eagerly and then hissed. "No. NO. NO! I'll not allow that,"

"Cade wants it, he'll get it. His word is law, isn't it?" she said, cruelly. "It's easy to say when it's someone else, isn't it? Not so easy now that he's taking your mate from you."

"He won't."

"What other option do you have?"

"There must be some way I can save her," He said as he ran his fingers through his hair, roughly. Things started to click. This was the reason why Cade always wanted Damon's loyalties to himself, the reason why he always warned Damon against loving her. Because he knew he would never allow Cade to harm a hair on her head. "I don't understand, why would he pick me to save her when he never wanted us to be together in the first place, he knew I won't go down easy then why?

"Of course, your exceptional powers," She said, "The girl was supposed to die before she was even born. To give her the gift of life, one need to give the ultimate sacrifice, a part of one's own soul or body, Cade had nothing to offer, but you did, you sacrificed your heart for her to live," She reminded him. "That was all he needed you for. But unlike he expected, you didn't give up on her for power, you wanted her at all cost, so he had no other option but to send you after her, to corrupt her heart, soul and body,"

"I know what you're thinking, you'll refuse to bed her, but how long can you delay the inevitable? Once you bed her, her soul would no longer be pure, she'll be more attracted to the dark side than ever before, you'll have no choice but to corrupt her and make her a sinning soul," Sage was clearly enjoying his torment, "Face it. You and I are the same, Damon, we are to spend our loveless lives alone. I was forced to leave the love of my life and so will you be, you can't save her from him and even if you did, you still can't ever have her. You'll have to leave her. Hideaway from her and Cade forever. That's the only way you can protect her. But are you ready to give her up?"

Even the thought of that was a stab to his heart.

It felt like in one giant stride his perfect world shook and crashed down out of the burning night.

..

..

It was raining. She was waiting for him to pick her up. But he was late. So late. Where was he? Was he busy? Was he okay? She felt restless. Why wasn't he answering her calls, again? A little part of her panicked.

"I can take you home," She heard Stefan's voice. She turned to face him, a serious look on her face. She still hadn't forgiven him for his nasty lies about Damon. "I'll take the bus,"

"Elena, please," He held her hand.

"Stefan, don't!"

"Elena, I'm… I'm sorry for what I did. I really am. What I did was unforgivable but I promise I'll prove to you every day how sorry I am for lying to you, I'll prove how sorry I'm for being selfish by you," He held her hands in his, "I want your friendship back, I want you back in my life, I can't bear the hatred in your eyes for me, anymore, please? Please forgive me?"

His green eyes were bright and his expression so caring, so full of love, she couldn't help but nod in approval. Maybe he had finally learned his lesson. She should give him another chance. After all, he was doing so much for her.

At work, he always took her side and helped her in her tasks. He always made sure she didn't get burdened by the workload and he always kept her close to him. Even while she showed him her utmost hatred, he took care of her. Also, it was due to his efforts that her Aunt Jenna and her husband's murder case was reopened and was being investigated.

"Okay, but this is your last chance," She warned.

"I know." He said, "This is my last chance," He said more to himself than her.

..

..

It was midnight and Damon still wasn't home. When she demanded Klaus where he was, he told her he had no idea. She was worried now, very worried.

What if he got into an accident? What if he was dead? She couldn't live without him. She would die, she knew that.

She paced around the room, nervous and scared.

And just when she was about to call the police she heard the lock tick. She turned to see him, entering, taking his shoes off.

"Thank God, you're okay," She ran to him and hugged him like she wouldn't let go. Then she started to cry and just held on. There was a lot of jabbering in between sobs. He hugged her back, pulling her closer, more close. He couldn't get enough today. Sooner or later, he had to let her go, forever.

"Hey, hey, what happened?" He tried to soothe her but he felt his voice heavy too, maybe from all the torment he was going through, the feeling of heartbreak, the feeling of emptiness at the very thought of living without her.

She pulled back, harshly, her eyes filled with anger. Then before he knew it, her arm flew back and she slapped him, hard. Her palm struck his cheek with a smack. "Where were you? Do you know how worried I was? I searched for you everywhere, I called the club, they told me you never came today, Klaus didn't know where you were and the interview that you had today… they told me, you didn't attend that either, you know how vulnerable I'm, you know how scared I'm all the time, yet you put me through all that…,"

"I… I went to your house to pick up your things and your… teddy bear, you've been missing it. I thought that-,"

She never let him explain and walked away.

"Baby, I-,"

"I don't want to talk to you," She growled. "You always disappear on me. Do you have the slightest clue how hard it is for me?" She found it quite disturbing that every time he was off to do God knows what, no one ever had the slightest clue where he was. It was like he never existed.

"Elena, I had something important to do," He didn't want to lie but he couldn't exactly tell her the truth either.

"More important than me?" she asked.

"Elena," He groaned. "Can you please just calm down? You're making an issue out of nothing." They rarely ever fought and even if they did he'd always managed to calm her but today fate had other plans.

"I'm making an issue?" She hissed. "You clearly don't understand the torment you put me through. You don't care that I was so worried, you don't care about my feelings," Her wet lashes lifted. Her desolate gaze socked him like a fist in the chest. He knew what was coming next. Those damned tears.

"Baby,"

"I'm going to stay over at Care's tonight. I don't want to be here with you," She mumbled, moving toward the closet to pack a night bag but before she did, he held her wrists and pushed her against the wall.

"No, you're not,"

Surprised, she had barely registered from the shock when she found his lips covering hers. Taking each of her hands in his, he raised them up above her head and held them there. There was no way he was letting her go out of his sight tonight. That was it.

He was unable to control himself and in the storm of passion he kissed her and went on kissing her madly. He was wild and ravenous and she pressed her body against his, the fight slowly fading away from her mind. He let go of her arms and cupped her face. His lips played with hers, teasing, inviting her to do things her body wanted to go all in on.

He pulled back for a while, letting her catch her breathe. Casting her gaze down for a moment before facing his, she drew in a deep breath. When she looked up at him again, he quirked one side of his mouth in a smile of satisfaction. His chin nuzzled her neck, unbuttoning her dress so he could kiss her chest briefly before his hands cupped her face, his obsessively craved kiss finding her mouth once more.

While kissing, slowly she guided him to the bed. She pushed him on it and crawled on top of him, straddling him. She took off her shirt and threw it in a corner of the room. Her arms circled his neck, crossing at the wrists. Her kisses came harder and stronger, laced with unmistakable passion. Their heads turned slightly, in unison, and she unbuttoned his blue button-down shirt. She guided it slowly off his shoulders and down his arms. As it fell to the floor, her fingers retraced the path back to his shoulders.

He closed his eyes as she touched him with the softness no one else never offered him. She kissed him down his neck to his chest, his torso and finally reached his bulge.

He knew he had to stop her. Things had already gone out of hand while he was blinded by his mad need for her. He was about to stop her, but it as if she read his thoughts. She planted feathery kisses on his body, inching closer to his face again. "I want this. I want you. So bad. Please, please," She didn't know what she was pleading for. All she knew was that she needed him.

He lost all the will to deny her request when their eyes locked. He flipped her over, crawling on top of her. He tore the remaining article of clothes from her body eagerly, as if he despised the very sight of them. Tonight he wouldn't let anything come in between them. Tonight she was his. No matter how selfish it was.

She felt her body tingle with excitement as his lips kissed all over her body, making her tremble with all the delights of love and desire.

"Take me, take all of me," she kept whispering in his ear.

And so he did. He took off his pants eagerly. Ever since he'd seen her, he had been crazy for her, he wanted to bury himself inside her and make her his forever but he couldn't do it then.

But now, she was all his.

"Are you… are you sure?"

"Yes,"

"I love you," He confessed over and over again, "Every time I looked at you, I trembled inside from wanting you so much." He lowered himself to the bed, straddling her body, aligning himself to perfectly fit her. When his hardness touched her softness, she cried out. "And when we touched, I shattered into a million pieces." He entered her slowly, knowing that he was engorged, rock hard and bigger than most typical human men. He was glad no one touched her before he did, or he would have stalked them all and rip them apart for touching her. Mine, he thought, and with a final short thrust, he was buried to the hilt in her wet depth. "And now you're only mine. You're the devil's queen. You're my mate." He whispered so low she barely heard it.

She cried out in pain. But he kissed her tears away, mumbling apologies. When she signaled him that she felt better, he started to slowly move inside of her. Oh God this was heaven. His eyes locked on hers as he clasped her hands and pinned them on either side of her head.

More and more intimately he touched her, deeper and deeper he penetrated her. But she never looked away. Even when the threads of her sanity began to unravel, she continued to watch the fire in his eyes burn brighter. ''You're so slick, so hot, so tight, '' he whispered in a rough voice unlike any she'd heard from him before.

He kissed her feverishly, and she whimpered as he was commanding her body to move in ways it had never done. He intertwined his fingers in hers and pulled them to her back. When the position she was in made her full bosom push forward, he captured one of the rosy buds and began to suckle it. Elena gasped as it sent her body into shock, closing her eyes in pleasure.

She was close, and he could feel her muscles clenching against his cock. "Elena, look at me." He ground the words out. "Elena," She finally opened her eyes in time for him to watch them go blurry with pleasure as she went over the edge, triggering his.

It wasn't long before he fell asleep in her arms. Tonight was after all, the only night he had. However, she laid awake, looking at him with affection filled eyes. Some part of her warned her that she wasn't ever going to get these moments again but she brushed those thoughts away. This was her forever.

She slid his arm around her, inching closer to him, lying her head on his chest basking in the security of his love for her and in his strong yet gentle arms, fell into a restful sleep.

..

..

"Where are you going?" she asked him when she felt him kiss the top of her head. She had just woken and found him close to her, kneeling on his knees, playing with the strand of her hair. He was fully dressed as if ready to go somewhere.

"Going for an interview out of town,"

"Oh, let me get ready, I'll go with you,"

"No. No. You get ready and go to work," He said. After all, she had to live her life on her own now.

"I'll see you tonight," It was as if she knew something was up.

He sighed, his eyes, usually so fierce and commanding, were softened by melancholy, and a sad smile played upon his lips.

"I know, I know, I'm panicking all the time that-," He didn't let her finish and pressed his lips against her in a hard kiss. He knew he needed to stop but he couldn't seem to muster up the strength to let her go, not yet. He wanted her badly and the knowledge that this was their last time together was almost his undoing. But he finally pulled back.

"Alright, you smooth devil," She said with a chuckle. "I get it. I get it," She rose up from the bed, "Now go,"

He nodded, murmuring goodbye to her.

She followed him to the door, there was something strange about his silence today.

"I love you," She said, once he was at the door.

He turned to look at her once and she swore she saw the agony in his eyes as if he was going through ruthless torture.

For the first time in a long while, he felt his eyes glistened with moisture, a lone tear slid down his cheek. He offered her a smile and then turned swiftly before his resolve could break.

He hurried down the stairs of the block, not answering her confession.

..

..

She was on duty when she received a call. Someone informed her that the cab that Damon took to go out of the town, has slid off the Wickery bridge and fell into the river.

They haven't recovered the dead body of him and the driver yet but by the look of the condition of the car, it was confirmed that they have died in the accident.

The receiver fell from her hands and she felt as if she was living her worst nightmare.

"Elena, what happened?" Stefan rushed to her, noticing the look of horror on her face.

"He… he's dead. He left me too," She mumbled, still in shock.

"What? But that's not…," How was that even possible?

..

..

Stefan had taken her to the bridge where the police had just taken the cab car out. Her hands were joined together; her eyes were closed, and lips were continuously praying to every God that exists in the universe, to not let her be without her Damon, that this car wasn't his and that he was alive and safe.

"Is this his ID?" Sheriff Liz asked her as she handed a wallet to her.

Her heart sank as she recognized the wallet and the man in the picture, "Yes."

She was still in shock. She wasn't sobbing but tears slid down her face continuously. She felt cold as if her soul had left her body but yet she felt agony. She couldn't live without him.

"Please, come back to me," She pleaded, kneeling to her knees. "Please don't leave me,"

" _I didn't have a choice, baby,"_ She heard the wind whisper but there wasn't anyone around. A strand of her, captive behind her ear, fell on her face.

..

..

 _ **Of course, it's not over yet. There is going to a major twist in the next chapter. Here have a spoiler.**_

 _.._

 _"You can bring him back, Elena," Cade offered. "But for that, you'll need to give a sacrifice,"_

 _"What? I'm ready to offer anything,"_

 _.._

I hope you enjoyed the read. Do tell me if you liked it? Do you think the devil's love is genuine now or is it still an obsession? His decision good? His sacrifice worth it? Do review so I'll know I still have my readers.

Thank you for your support, DE Family. I can't put in words how it means to me.

Also check out my new short story, 'Beyond the Stars' It's a romance/drama. I'll love to know your feedback regarding it.

Thank you Carol, (Scarett2112) Bonnie (SalvatoreBoys4ever) and Vidhi (VitsAsh) for your support and amazing stories. Carol's 'The Chidren's Blizzard is a page turner, you must check out. Bonnie's reaching the finale of COHB, an amazing storyline. My friend (Elenear12) has just started writing a new story, 'The unexpected groom' do check it out and support her.

Stay Safe.

Review?

All my love. ~May


	13. The Devil's Lover

Dear Readers!

As promised, here is the update. This had been in my drive for awhile but I only had the courage to post it today. It's been awhile that I had written something so I'm not sure about it much but here goes. I hope you guys are still here and that you enjoy the read.

* * *

 **Uptill now,**

The town of Mystic Falls had always been considered a very odd place. Dr. Grayson Gilbert (being a practical man) didn't believe in supernatural legends or creatures - but his wife did. Miranda was a researcher. She had an obsession with supernatural shows and stories about witchcraft. She promised the devil her daughter in return for her life, after many failing pregnancies.

Grayson and John find out and seeks another warlock to save Elena from the devil. On the night of Elena's birthday, Elena's parents die. The devil sees his queen for the first time that day. The Devil falls in love with the Elena and vows to make her his. Stefan, the other warlock tries to stop him. But as time passes, the devil, Damon, and Elena find themselves madly in love with each other until Damon finds out that his chief had some plans in mind for his girl. Additionally, it comes to his knowledge that for the plans to fulfill, he had to bed Elena and make her his mate, which he does eventually but then fakes his death, making Elena and everyone else believe that he is gone for good.

"Is this his ID?" Sheriff Liz asked her as she handed a wallet to her.

Her heart sank as she recognized the wallet and the man in the picture, "Yes."

"Please, come back to me," She pleaded, kneeling to her knees. "Please don't leave me,"

* * *

 **Chapter 13: The Devil's Lover**

* * *

"Elena," Caroline said, as she knocked on the door. "Elena, come on, let's go."

Elena rolled her eyes and opened the door. Caroline made a face when she looked at her friend. She was still in her PJ's, dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't eaten or slept for days, messy hair, unwashed face, she was a mess.

"What is this Elena, I thought we were going out," Caroline clearly seemed upset. "Look at her, Stefan," She turned toward Doctor Stefan who seemed to be in deep thought.

"Elena, wha-," He hadn't even finished when Elena interrupted, "I never agreed to go out, you assumed that yourself, and I'll have you know I'm very busy at the moment so why don't you-,"

Caroline rolled her eyes and pushed the door open slightly letting herself in. Elena looked rather taken aback by her sudden move. Stefan followed Caroline in.

The family room was a mess, everything scattered, clothes and books piled in a corner. A couple of pillows and sheet were placed in the middle of the room. Caroline didn't know but Stefan knew that Elena had been sleeping there ever since the day the police claimed Damon dead. She had left the room where she and Damon had spent the last few hours of his life in each other arms. She had made sure that everything was in its place in that room as he had left it. His jacket untouched, lying on the chair, his shoes in the corner, even the sheets on the bed, placed like he had never left.

He knew she believed earnestly that he was still alive, somewhere out there in the world. He knew that because he had been keeping a watch on her. He couldn't understand why Damon would leave all of a sudden, didn't he want her so bad, he couldn't live without her? Why would he do that? Did he like making her suffer? Was that his mission all along?

"Look at this place. It's a mess. You need to leave this junk apartment if you ever want to get over him." Caroline mumbled as she stepped over a pile of dirty clothes.

"But I don't want to get over him and I can't leave this place. What will he think when he retu…,"

"Elena, he's dead. He's gone. He's never coming back."

"He's not. He's not DEAD." She hissed back. "He's alive. He's okay,"

"Elena, please, we have been through this for like a hundred times and,"

"Caroline," Stefan held her arm, stopping her, he didn't want to set her off again. She would shut them out again and would stop talking to them like she did a month ago.

"Look, I understand what you're going through," Stefan stepped forward toward her.

"Oh, do you? Have you had all your family members dead within a year span? Did you? Did you lose the love of your life in a tragic accident? Did you lose the only person you had, after everyone left you? No, you hadn't. You can't understand what I'm possibly feeling," She wept in agony. She dropped on her knees, gasping to breath, holding herself as if she would scatter in pieces.

Caroline and Stefan rushed to her, holding her.

"Get her some water," Stefan mumbled instructions to Caroline.

"Ok," She said as she rushed to the kitchen.

Stefan held her closer to himself. The devil had broken her fragile heart into bits, he could feel the misery and darkness in her aura. "Damn you, devil!" Stefan thought, what have you done?

"I have no one now," She mumbled.

"You have me," He replied, cupping her face. Her eyes fluttered up to him and held his gaze for a while before she looked away.

"I'm fine," She said, wiping her tears, "Sorry for that,"

Just then Caroline returned with a glass of water and handed it to her, Elena gulped it down in one breath. "I'm sorry Care, I just don't wanna go anywhere right now. I know you're trying to help but I really need time."

"Look Elena, I know you have lost a lot of people and that have wrecked you especially Damon's deat… disappearance," She changed her statement, noticing the grief on her face. "But, life doesn't stop for anyone. You need to…get over it. You have a whole life ahead of you and you can't just lock yourself up and shut the world out. You have to move on and for that you need to leave this junk apartment. Come live with me, or Bonnie…,"

"Care, look, I understand what you're saying but I can't. I can't so soon. Please, leave me alone for awhile." Elena said, standing up, wrapping her arms around herself, an attempt to hold herself together and not break down again.

Caroline opened her mouth to argue but Stefan mouthed her to stop.

"Okay, then, as you wish. You have my number. Call me… if you like need me or…," Caroline said awkwardly. "Bye," She said as she rushed out of the apartment.

"You'll be coming to the hospital from Monday,"

She nodded.

He stood there for a while, waiting for her to turn but when she didn't respond at all, he turned to leave. Caroline was right. For Elena to get over Damon, she needed to leave this shithole of an apartment and he knew just how.

..

..

"I still can't believe you left her under the angel's protection what if he makes a move on her?" Sage said, smirking as she clicked her finger and one of the trees in the thick forest blasted into thick ashes.

"She's marked now. He can't do anything about it," He spat. "But as much as I know him, he'll keep her protected at all cost. He doesn't know she's marked, he'll think it's his golden opportunity with her, me being gone," Damon said looking at where the ashes landed.

"But, seriously Devil, an angel?"

"I watch her at night and I have a couple of minions keeping an eye on her for me during the day, but they are not that strong. As much as I hate to admit, that angel is my best bet to keep her safe while I'm gone."

"There," Sage said as she pointed at the mountains. "The red mountains, the town of the Indiana witches, if we're lucky, she'll tell us about the raven,"

"You sure this will work?" Damon said, skeptically.

"Hundred Percent. Cade has linked his life to the rare white raven, we kill the raven, we kill Cade, he'll be trapped in hell forever."

"If it's that simple why didn't you do this after he killed Fin?"

"I never said it's simple Devil. The raven will be well protected. Also I'm not as strong as to fight with all the clan of Indiana witches at the same time, you however are, mighty king of all evil," She said she closed her eyes to murmur a spell. But as soon as she did, Damon grabbed her by her throat and pushed her against a tree. "This. Better. Work. Or I'll put you through hell, worse than your nightmare." He hissed.

"This will," she tried to speak through his hard grip.

..

..

It was almost midnight, still not dark enough, even though she had turned off all the lights, the timid light from the stars and the dominatingly luminous moon had lit up her room. Yet she felt darkness everywhere...

She was lying on the mattress placed on the wooden floor. Usually she was asleep by this time after the whole memory of them had played in front of her like a videotape, but right now she couldn't.

She sat up, staring at the sky with empty eyes, glittering by the regular tears. She breathed deep wiping her eyes, just making a failed attempt at thinking that tomorrow will be somehow better. Just when she was about to turn back to her pillow, the wind from the partially opened window stopped her for some reason, she felt soothed which was unusual, she had never felt this way ever since he had left. The scent seemed familiar as if he was here.

It surprised the devil how she would be aware of his presence even when he was in invisible to her eyes. Her love for him was so deep. But he still believed he loved her more.

She got closer to the window, sat beside it, she closed her eyes feeling very comforted at the moment, unaware at that the love of her life was just sitting next to her.

"You must think I have gone mad, no?" she talked to no one in particular but he knew she was addressing him. "Everyone else does. They think I'm crazy to believe that you're alive and okay, that you're still with me,"

"Not at all," He replied, knowing she couldn't hear him. "I just think you love me more than I deserve. I actually don't deserve you at all, after I made you cry so much but, I wouldn't know how to live without you. What is it that binds me to you, what is this crazy mad feeling?"

She felt the wind fall gently against her cheek, she could almost picture his presence, feel his touch, every feeling at that moment was worth the hurt. The devil's gaze was upon her gleaming face, the side of his hand touching her cheek slightly as he sat against the window.

He couldn't deny the fact that he absolutely missed her and cherished, loved her more than life itself.

"They can't understand what we had. They can't understand how much we love each other, you promised nothing could ever part us, even death."She stopped, taking a deep breath.

"and nothing would." He replied gently.

She never acknowledeged him, of course, continuing in a voice hardly above a whisper, "You gave me everything I ever wanted, a love that consumed me, passion and adventure, I can't just let that go Damon, no matter how long it takes, I am here for you Damon, ready to be yours whenever you find the strength to get to me, because no matter how much I deny the obvious and run counter to my heart, it's always going to belong to you, it'll keep coming back to you. Do you realize how this isn't a choice for me now? I want you back."

He sighed, "Elena, I know, what I did… what I am doing, is not fair to you my love, I know this is selfish, but I am gone right now just to come back to you for eternity, to make you the queen of the whole universe, we'll rule the world here and after, we'll never part ever again."

"Stop."

His eyes widened for a second thinking she heard him talking, but how?

"I know everything is so messed up, I need to stop being this way, you wouldn't want me this way." She looked down at herself, "You never fell in love with this girl, but if you want me to be me again, you need to come back to me, I don't care how you do it, but you have to come back and tell all these people that I wasn't wrong, that you'd never abandon me, that I'd never lose my family again, you're all I have, Damon, I know you wouldn't break your promise."

"I won't, that's the only promise I'd keep. I won't let you forget me Elena, you're meant to be the Devil's Queen and that you'll be." He untucked the strand of her hair from behind her ear. He waved his hand in front of her, casting a sleeping spell on her. Elena suddenly felt her lids heavy with sleep.

A light breeze caught wisps of her hair, the strands teasing the edges of her face, she felt as if someone was slowly backing her toward the mattress, she was so sleepy she couldn't think straight.

He lifted her up, and placed her on the mattress, covering her with a light sheet. And just when he was done tucking her in, he heard Stefan's wings flutter.

"I must go now." He whispered, "No one must know I still visit you. Take Care, my only love," He whispered as he disappeared into thin air.

..

..

When Stefan arrived Elena was fast asleep. He kneeled on his knees next to her. "I'm sorry you're hurting so much, I am going to kill that… I warned you didn't I? Hurting people is all he knows. But he will suffer for hurting you like this. " He promised, holding her hand. "This will be over soon and you'll forget him."

He clapped his hands and two angels appeared on the call.

"Did you do what I asked you to do?" He demanded.

"Yes, sir, we have captured him, he's in the dungeons right now and we're waiting for your verdict." The angel on the left, the beautiful blonde girl answered.

"Excellent. You stay with Elena, I'll be back in a while."

He looked back at Elena and smiled, lowering to kiss her cheek. Once he was done, he walked to the window, his wings spread wide, he jumped down the window and flew away.

..

..

"Let me go. Let me go!" Klaus growled as he tried to release himself of the shackles.

"Silence, creature of darkness," Stefan said in a calm yet dangerous tone. "You don't want a one-way ticket to hell, do you?"

"Oh, you don't know, who you're messing with, you mongrel, I'll feed on your-," He never completed when he felt a sharp pain in his head as if someone had set him on fire. "I told you, I told you, I don't know where he went. Cade had been searching for him too. He deceived us too. You know Cade wanted that girl-,"

"Well, he's not going to get her, she's well protected by the warlocks who never sins. We're protecting her round the clock," Lexi replied strictly.

"You don't think we know that," Klaus hissed.

"Lower your goddamn voice, you're talking to the chief of angels," Stefan said with a glare that was so unlike what he claimed he was. He rather looked dangerous.

"Stefan, they say they don't know either. Where do you think the devil went?" Lexi asked, worriedly.

"Don't know. But this is my best chance. I have to make use of it." Stefan said, "Once Elena is my mate, who cares what Damon might be planning, we'll have the petrova girl, he won't be able to do anything." He added.

"Now what do we do to him?" Lexi signaled at Klaus.

"He's the creature of dark, we do what is our job,"

Klaus knew what Stefan meant. The angels would damn him to hell forever, and he couldn't go there. No, it was terrible.

"No, you wouldn't. Look angel… I… what have I done to you?" Klaus pleaded.

"It's not what have you done, it's what you are,"

"Angel, I never come in your way, do I? Look, I am not even allied with your brother anymore,"

"Don't you dare call him my brother," Stefan shouted. "He's no brother of mine,"

"Why are you arguing with him Stefan, just do it," Lexi said carelessly. "I'll be in the worship room if you need me," She snapped her fingers and disappeared.

Stefan turned to Klaus. "Now finally to do...,"

"Come on, Angel, you wouldn't… I… I beg,"

"Well, I might just consider that but you'll have to do me a favor," Stefan said, stepping closer.

"And… and what's that?"

"You'll have to throw Elena out of yours and Damon's apartment," Stefan demanded.

..

..

"What do you mean I can't live here," Elena hissed when Klaus told her to pack up.

"What I mean is, this is my apartment, your boyfriend is dead, the deed is in my name and I want you to get out,"

"Nic, but… please… I need to stay here, I don't have anywhere to go," She said, following him to the kitchen.

"Not my problem," Klaus said, turning to her.

"Klaus… but I'll pay rent. Look, Klaus, I… Damon and I made memories here, I… I need this place to stay sane, I… you don't know how much this apartment means to me…I-,"

"Elena, look, I really don't care. This apartment is mine, and I need it all to myself, so pack up your stuff and leave before I call the cops," He threatened, ignoring her tear-brimmed eyes.

With a heavy heart and eyes full of tears, she finally nodded after a while.

..

..

"Of course, Lena, you're always welcome at my place,"  
Elena walked down the alley turning toward the road that led to the hospital where she worked. A guardian angel guarding her and a dark devil following her without her knowledge.

When she was just a road away from the hospital, Damon disappeared into thin air, satisfied that she had reached hospital safety. Rebekah, the guardian angel appointed by Stefan was still with her.

"Thanks, Care. Thank you for helping me when I literally have no one else," Elena said before she hung up.

"Miss Elena," She heard a familiar voice when she was about to cross the road.

Both Rebekah and Elena stopped in their tracks.

She turned behind to find the familiar homeless man, standing near a building corner, under the shade.

"Mr. Cade,"

"Long time no see, dear. You completely disappeared," Cade asked with a fake smile.  
"Yes, Mr. Cade… life had been too… unkind to me," She replied with a sigh.

Rebekah stood behind, watching the conversation with interest, unaware of the danger disguised as a poor homeless man.

"Oh dear. So, are the rumors true? Your boyfriend did die-,"

"He's not dead," Elena said quickly. "He… He's missing. He's not dead."

"Oh dear. I'm so really sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." Mr. Cade in a soft tone.

"It's… it's okay."

"You want to talk about it," Mr. Cade said after an awkward silence.

"No, Mr. Cade, I'm getting late, I best be going," Elena said, turning to leave but before she could, he held her arm. She gasped turning around, surprised by the move.

Rebekah was about to attack Cade, suddenly feeling threatened but before she could, Cade clicked his finger and she found herself trapped in an invisible web. Her eyes widened, just realizing that danger.

"Look Elena, I see the pain in your eyes, you don't know but people had been calling you all sort of things, your optimism to them is madness."

"I know," Elena said, pulling her hand out of his grasp, feeling awkward.

"But I understand you know. I have been through it, whatever you're going through. I know how it hurts to lose your rock, the only person that matters,"

Elena stood silently, biting her lip, feeling as if someone had ripped her wounds all over again. "First you lost your parents, then your aunt and now the love of your life. God had been so unfair to you." It was like his words were hypnotizing her, making her feel worse and worse about her life.

"I can help you, Elena."

"Sorry?"

"I can bring him back,"

..

..

The Indiana witches instantly refused to help the devil and his lady friend as soon as they found who they were and what they were after. Not that Damon didn't expect it. The Indiana witches were what his world considered 'tame witches' and also they were scared of Cade's wrath, of course, they wouldn't help just by his word.

"Please, reconsider it, he's not used to the word 'no'," Sage requested.

"Or what?" The Chief of the clan said.

"Or, I'll burn your precious village down to the ground," The Devil replied, his eyes gleaming red with anger. "I'll release my deadliest serpents on your young ones, and wipe your name off earth." He threatened as he stepped forward. "You wouldn't like a beef with the king of all evil, the devil, would you?"

"But if we do… Cade won't spare us,"

"And if you don't, I won't." Damon replied, the smile on his face angelic but his voice like a hiss of a hungry viper. "Besides, you don't need to be afraid, we're getting rid of him. He'll never come here,"

"You have lost your mind, Devil. He's Cade. He's your chief."

"He's old. It's time to overthrow the king," Damon said carelessly. "Now, where is that raven?"

"It's… it's in the red cave," The chief replied, "But I must warn you, legend says, whoever walks in that cave, never comes out. Humans or Supernatural."

Damon smirked, "I'm not just any supernatural, I'm the fucking devil, Cade is as good as dead now."

..

..

"I don't understand this, Mr. Cade," Elena said as she followed him to a completely abandoned building outside the Fells. "Why are we going to Mystic Falls?"

"Because this is where it all begun," Cade replied. He turned to her with a wide smile and clicked his finger.

She found herself in a dark room with Cade.

"The world is more than what your human eyes see Elena. There is an after life, there is another world where all the spirits and supernatural creatures live. There is a world where magic exists,"

"What?" Elena said, taken aback. She believed that the old man was off his rockers. She should have never followed him here.

"I know what you think. Let me give you a little demonstration," Cade said, waving his hand in front of her and Elena found herself floating in the air.

"Oh my god!" She shrieked, scared.

Cade clicked his fingers and she was back on her feet. "You see, Elena, I am very powerful, I can give you back what you have lost,"

"But… but why?" Elena asked, feeling her heart beating frantically, partly from fear and partly from the excitement that she could have her Damon back.

"Let's say I have taken a liking to you," Cade smirked. "Tell me, how bad do you want him back?"

"I…,"

"How much do you love him?"

"I can die for him," She confessed, finally finding the courage to speak.

"You can bring him back, Elena," Cade offered. "But for that, you'll need to give a sacrifice,"

"What? I'm ready to offer anything," She said without wasting a second.

"Your soul?" Cade said, "The Dark spirit will grant your wish, but for that, you'll need to give him an oath that your soul and your body belongs to him only,"

Elena looked taken aback. "I have to what?"

"By giving yourself, you pledge alliance to darkness, you offer all you have to the dark spirit,"

Elena pondered on it for a while, but something stopped her. Her sixth sense screamed for her to get out of the building.

"I'm sorry but… but this sounds… this doesn't sound good. I can't do this. I need to go." Elena replied as she picked up her purse to rush out.

"Fine. Go. Live a dark lonely life." Cade said loudly, "A loveless life. A life where you have already lost all you had, even the man you claim to love. You'll suffer everyday Elena. You'll cry every day. But you'll never find peace… the peace that you only find in the arms of your lover,"

Elena halted, feeling salty tears streaming down her face.

"Are you really ready for a life like that, Elena? The restless night, the anxiousness increasing as you hope that one day he'll walk in through the doors because he won't, he's dead. Gone forever." Cade's voice echoed.

"You're really walking away from your golden chance?" He added.

Immediately Elena turned around, gasping 'no'. Of course, she couldn't. It had only been a couple of months and she was already a walking dead. She couldn't imagine a life without him.

"So, what's your decision Elena?"

"I'll take your offer," Elena replied.

..

..

Damon lit a torch as they explored the red cave, while Sage followed him. They faced a three headed serpent and killed it within seconds. Then they had to cross a lake of poisonous ivy. Damon and Sage clicked their fingers and transported themselves to the other side.

They found a couple of scriptures as they explored deeper and deeper inside the cave.

"What does it says?" Sage asked.

"It say's we won't be able to use our magic from this point onwards," Damon said, looking up.

"Fuck, I knew this was far too easy up till now. That's just not Cade's style. There is something terrible in there." Sage replied but it seemed like Damon was lost in some other thoughts.

Damon felt a strange vibe as if someone was calling him. It was a chief's call. But this was impossible. He'd left the clan when he decided to disobey Cade. That was the reason why Cade couldn't reach him.

Cade wasn't calling him. It was someone powerful beyond anything. It was the dark spirit, itself.

And before he knew it, he disappeared in thin air.

..

..

The room was pitch dark yet Elena could see everything in it clearly, grades of shadow from the beds, the coats thrown on the floor, everything. She had sneaked into Klaus's apartment for the ritual.

"The Dark Spirit, I call unto you, I give you my body, my soul and my life," She repeated over and over again.

Cade was whispering some spells under breath as Elena pledged her alliance to the dark spirit.

"ELENA NO!" she heard Stefan's voice. "Stop, in the name of goodness. Elena stop!" He was outside her window, screaming for her.

"Elena, I told you, the spirits will try to stop you in form of the people you're familiar, the people you love, but you must not stop in order for the ritual to finish successfully,"

"Stop in the name of God! You're making a grave mistake" Stefan shouted, he tried to break into the window but he couldn't. Cade was far too powerful for him. He stepped back to summon his own chief before the ritual could end.

"Elena, repeat after me," Cade said. "I, Elena Gilbert, submit to the dark spirit."

"I, Elena Gilbert, submit to the dark spirit,"

"I give you my body, my soul and my life," Cade said.

"I give you my body, my soul and my life," Elena repeated.

She could feel the earth shaking, the wind howling but she repeated whatever Cade told her, she accepted darkness with her complete consent, for the love of her life.

"The ritual is complete," Cade announced as he took a little blood from her and poured it on some very old scriptures. "Now, as for your wish,"

With a sudden blast, someone appeared, lying on the floor, unconscious. It was him. The love of her life. The reason of her existence.

"Damon!" She said, her voice dripping with relief as she ran towards him. She checked his pulse and found him to be alive.

"The dark spirit delivers what it promises," Cade said with an evil smirk.

"Damon, love, wake up," She said, shaking him, ignoring Cade.

After a couple of seconds, he started moving, slowly he opened his eyes and found beautiful brown orbs staring back at him.

"Elena…" He breathed her name like a prayer.

"Damon," She whispered, out of happiness and relief. "You're alive. You're okay."

"But… but how?" He said, trying to get up. Elena immediately threw herself in his arms, clutching him closer to her, crying like a baby. "Baby, I can't believe you're back. I... missed you so much,"

He pulled her closer, his fingers running in her hair, wondering how the hell he got here. Then he saw a couple of red eyes staring at him from a distance and he immediately recognized who the pair belonged to.

"The Devil's lover is finally ours," Cade whispered.

And it dawned on him. Elena had been corrupted. She traded her soul for him.

"No,"

..

..

 _Up Next_

 _"He killed your parents, Elena. And he's the one who ordered Jenna and Alaric dead," Cade shouted._

 _"This... this can't be," Elena said, shaking her head. "Damon, what is he saying?"_

 _"Tell him, Devil, didn't you order Jenna and Alaric dead?" Cade questioned._

 _.._

 _.._

Shit just hit the fan. We're entering the serious portion of the story. Tell me what do you think? Did you like it? What do you expect to happen next?

Also, thank you again for supporting pms, messages and reviews! It means the world!

MMI will be updated soon as well. I'm also working on a fan request of married DE. It's a two chapter story.

But do let me know if you liked the chapter! Review!

Take Care and be safe

Love,

May


	14. The Devil's Regrets

Chapter 14: The Devil's Regret

* * *

The house was filled with all sorts of wonderful smells, the apple pie and bacon cooking, the greens and the sweet potato pie. All the smells seemed to blend together filling every crack and crevice of the apartment.

It wasn't like he wasn't happy to see her happy, because after a very long time he saw her smile and laugh like he hadn't seen ever. But things had gotten from bad to worse. According to Sage, the only thing left for the ritual to seal was when Elena gives up her human body for good.

"In other words, she has to die, Devil." Sage whispered.

"That won't happen." Damon replied, feeling his breath getting stuck in his throat.

"Devil, there is no stopping it now. Don't you remember your transition?" She reminded him.

"Wicked witch. I know more than you'll ever know. Now, away with you," He clicked his finger, making her disappear.

"Who were you talking to?" He heard Elena's voice. He turned around, a smile on his face.

"No one, baby." He said, cupping her face.

"Are you feeling okay?" She asked, softly. She still thought that she was dreaming. She still couldn't believe he was here. For her the only logical explanation was that her love was strong enough to bring her love back through space and time.

Damon let her believe that, instead of telling her the mistake that she had committed.  
He kissed her on the lips; she closed her eyes, kissing him back. He leaned toward her until the weight of his body created a slow-motion descent, his arms wrapping around her, creating two entwined bodies on the couch.

"I still think this is a dream," Elena whispered, as he slowly as pressed lips down her throat.

"Baby…,"

"Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I am scared you'll be gone again. I wouldn't be able to survive that,"

"No. It won't ever happen. I'm here now." He replied, holding her closer and closer.

He secured his arms around her and helped her to snuggle in and then he gently stroked her soft skin, whispering a spell to make her fall asleep. "My… my pie… oven,"

"I'll get it." He replied.

"Feeling so… sleepy,"

"So sleep." He said, with a smile.

It was as if her body was trained to listen to him. As soon as he said those words, she felt her eyes get heavy and in no time, she fell asleep. He clicked his finger and materialized her in the bedroom.

He waved his hand and the apartment turned into his manor. A book flew to him and fell in his lap. Lamps lit up as if sensing his presence.

"Pearl," He only whispered and the lady appeared out of nowhere.

"Watch over Elena's dinner. Make sure it doesn't burn. Also set up table for two." He ordered, flipping pages of the book to find his desired one.

"Yes, his highness."

"Where is Anna?" He demanded, still not looking up from the book.

"She's out to find that mongrel, Klaus,"

"Okay." He replied.

"Master… is it true? Has the… has the queen been corrupted?" She asked, hestitantly.

For the first time, Damon looked up and gave a murderous stare to the woman. "Pearl, I think you have been paying too much attention to gossips while I was gone. I'm afraid that it really displeased me, and you know that's never a good thing." His tone was normal yet dangerous.

"Apologies, Master. I'll be in the kitchen."

..

..

Elena had invited all her friends for the dinner. She wanted to show them that she was always right and that Damon was never gone.

Caroline almost had a heart attack when she saw Damon. Bonnie looked shocked out of her mind too.

"But how?" She asked, as Elena served her the pie she baked.

"Love." Elena replied with a smile and her eyes shone with happiness. "I believed in our love."

Caroline and Bonnie turned to look at Damon who hadn't spoken a word other than casual pleasantries. He was smiling at her but there was something bothering him, something very troubling. He seemed very concerned as if he was expecting anyone to attack any minute.

A knock on the door disturbed the pleasant dinner.

Damon already knew who it was.

"I'll get the door," He said, as he reached to kiss Elena on the cheek once.

"This is insane, Elena." Caroline whispered.

"What?" Elena replied carelessly.

"For once, I agree with Caroline," Bonnie replied. "He doesn't look like he had recovered from an accident and let's say even if he wasn't involved in the accident, how come he didn't contact you before?"

Elena shifted in her chair nervously. She couldn't exactly tell them that she had 'sold' her soul and that it was a warlock's magic that had returned him to her. No one would believe her.

She and Damon had discussed it only once how she managed to pull him back to the world of living and he accepted her explanation that she had anchored to her love for him and that brought him to her. She was actually pretty surprised that he was so accepting of her explanation.

"What are you trying to say, Bon?" She asked.

"Elena, there is something really wrong going on here," Bonnie replied, looking around. "I don't know. I feel like, Damon isn't who he really is, I feel like even this place… I am not getting good vibes here… feels satanic-," she didn't even complete before Elena started to laugh. "What, you're a witch now?"

"Well, her ancestors were." Caroline replied, taking a bite from the chicken salad.

"Look, Elena, I don't want to freak you out but I don't feel good vibes here, there is something wrong… with Damon, with this place… if I were you I would get out of here,"

..

..

Stefan stood in front of the huge manor covered by dark clouds. The palace of King of Devils was just as spine chilling as the devil himself. To human eye, it was an ordinary apartment but he wasn't human neither ordinary.

"What are you doing here?" Damon growled in a whisper.

Stefan bit the inside of his cheek. "I am here for Elena."

"Get out of here." Damon replied. "Useless scum."

"It's your fault that she is in this mess in the first place." Stefan replied, holding a finger at him. "I suggest you give her up to me,"

"And what will you do to her?"

"I'll hide her from him. I'll take her far away where no evil can touch her… far away from yours and Cade's reach. At least she will be safe there."

"She is safe here, too. With me" Damon answered.

"Yeah, I saw that. What the fuck were you thinking?" Stefan asked.

"Filth."

"Yes, that you are," Stefan replied. "Now that we have made this clear. Mind telling me, why did you leave her-,"

"Get out of here,"

"You've already have made things worse than ever, if anything happens to her, I'll kill you in the most possible painful way," Stefan threatened. "You claimed to love her but you almost killed her,"

"I did what I could. I wanted to save her." Damon hissed back.

"But look what you did. She's bound to seal the ritual, so you best give her to me. We'll modify her memories, make her forget you, she will live with us for the rest of her life but at least she won't be Cade's puppet." Stefan said, an attempt to convince Damon.

"I was gone only for a couple of hours and you couldn't keep her safe, you really expect me to give her up, and trust you for her security." Damon snorted. "Fuck off,"

"Damon, I made a promise to her parents that I would keep her safe," Stefan stepped toward him. "And I swear on everything that is holy that I'll keep that promise."

"Well, I made a promise to Elena that no one would ever come between us, and I would rather burn in the deepest pit of hell, than break my promise. Elena was and is mine. The other half of me. My heart. And I would fight you, Cade and the entire world to keep her safe."

..

..

"What's your plan, Stefan?" Lexi asked as she cleaned her hands with holy water.

"Damon has been circling Elena to keep her safe but I don't think he can keep her secure much longer. One of these days Cade will seal the ritual and take her away from us." He replied, folding his arms.

"But we can't let that happen, Stefan. We gave the girl's parents our word. Her soul is corrupted but we still have a chance to save her before she unleashes the dark spirt to the world." Lexi replied.

Stefan nodded.

"But doesn't that mean we'll have to trap her here, in the room of angels. Frozen. No emotions. She'll be as good as dead." He asked, a bit hesitant.

"You rather she destroys the world and unleash the dark spirit?" Lexi asked, raising a brow.

"No, of course not."

"Stefan, don't let the love of that girl cloud your judgement. Your loyalties are to goodness." Lexi warned.

"Yes, my lady." Stefan bowed.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I'll use my final sin, my lady. I'll bring her here by hook or crook. " Stefan replied, his eyes gleaming red.

..

..

She was as loving and as kind as ever but sometimes Damon would see a different side to her. After her shift at the hospital, they were roaming around the city center. She demanded that she needed new outfit for town annual fund raising event.

They explored different shops for her desired dress but they couldn't find anything to both her and Damon's liking.

"If we don't find anything at Gracey's then we will have to go to Richmond this weekend." Elena told him almost making him graon.

"Really? Richmond. Just for a dress?"

"Not just a dress. The perfect dress." She replied.

"Personally, I'd like you without any," He winked at her.

"At a public event," She asked, smirking. "You'd like me naked at a public event for all the other… people to stare,"

He made a face, showing her how much he despised the idea now. "No. Never. I'll tear their heads open." Her eyes shot open when his hands snaked around her waist to pull her possessively against him.

"Oh my." She said, with a chuckle.

"No one is allowed to look at you like that but me," His voice merely above a whisper.

"You know you're so possessive."

"You're mine, Elena. Wait, Let me change that," He pulled her even more closer, "When it comes to you… I don't like to share."

"Well, then we best buy me a dress," She said with a giggle.

Thankfully, they found her desired dress at the last shop. Elena was a bit surprised because not only was the dress a perfect fit, it was exactly how she wanted.

"Lady Luck must be on my side." Elena said as she paid for it, "I mean, it's even in my budget."

"How weird?" Damon shrugged, pretending that he didn't have anything to do with it and that he hadn't conjured it.

He took the bags from her hand, holding her hand with other. Lately he was very protective of her, even more than he had always been.

"Can we buy ice cream?" Elena said with a pout that she knew he couldn't resist.

"Well, as her highness wishes."

She laughed at his cheesiness. She had only turned around when he reappeared, with ice cream.

"How in the…" She asked surprised. It's not even been a minute. Then she sighed, "Now we only have to find a place to sit,"

"Lucky, there is a bench behind you," He replied.

"Oh… I swear I didn't see it on the way here," Elena replied, surprised, but then again, she believed anything could happen.

"I never came here, when you were gone." Elena confessed. "It reminded me of you and… it…I couldn't even-," Before she could break into tears, he placed a finger on her lips. "Ahm. No. No tears. I don't know how but now… I'm here. I'll always be here,"

She smiled the smile that made his heart skip a beat.

 _Lies again_. He heard a whisper.

"say what?" He asked, looking around.

"what's wrong?" Elena asked.

"I… I thought I heard something but I guess-," He trailed off. Some supernatural creature was around. He was the devil, no one could fool him.

 _But I can._ He recognized the voice as Cade. He covered the shock and composed his face, inching closer to Elena, holding her as if, Cade would snatch her from him.

 _Hold her as much as you want, but she is ours. And she will come to us._

"Never!" Damon whispered.

"Damon," Elena looked at him, there was a strange look in her eyes.

"Yes, Queen."

"Have you… have you ever stolen?" She asked, curiously.

"I…, yes."

"I never did." She replied. "Is it thrilling?" She asked.

"Uh… not really."

"Could we?" She asked, her eyes suddenly gleaming with pure evil.

"Of course not. What do we not have? Why do we have to steal?"Damon asked.

" _Arent you a righteous Devil. Not so charming!"_ She replied with a wicked laugh.

"ELENA!"

"What?" She said in a shocked tone. "Did… did I say something? Did I say something to you?" She asked, in a scared tone.

"No. No, you didn't." He took her in his arms, hugging her tightly. "You're fine. We're fine."

 _Your lies won't last longer, Devil. She will surely know soon. You'll be the reason; she will come to us._

 _.._

 _.._

Sometimes, they couldn't have enough of each other. Devil didn't know what was it about the girl that he loved so much. Her smile. Her eyes. Her kind soul. Or the fact that she loved him just as crazily.

Today, after her shift she came to meet him at the fight club. He had already materialized in his gear, ready for the fight. She was so always conscious and protective, she came daily to see his fight so he had to keep up with the charade. But sometimes, he just wished he could tell her, that he was indeed a monster, a devil. Would she still accept him?

She came out of the washroom, freshly showered. She was wearing a sexy black lingerie, the kind the tall slinky Victoria Secret models parade around in. Her body was delicately curved. Very voluptuous. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, letting them fall on the bed.

He combed through her locks with his fingers, until the strands descended in long waves to her back. He brought his head forward. His thumbs moved up to touch the softness of her petal-smooth pink lips. "Oh, how I missed this,"

His lips captured her mouth, her lips parted for his tongue and, his tongue began leisurely exploration, letting out a gentle moan, she ran her fingertips along the warm skin of his chest. She felt his hands on her, ripping at her the somewhat clothes, she was wearing.

He massaged her breast, pinching the nipple from time to time, enjoying her tiny gasp. When he finally released her mouth, he let his lips explore her soft skin as he moved down her body. Sucking, kissing, and even licking every inch of her curves. Slowly, he undressed himself and her, until they were both naked.

"Tell me, tell me, you're mine?" He demanded as he kissed her again, taking her tongue and sucking, nudging his shaft against her in rhythm, testing, teasing.  
"I am yours," she whispered. The words cut like knives, barely out of her mouth before he stole them, sealing them with his own lips.

"Oh baby, I'm going to bend you over and fuck you so hard… You're going to think my name is Yes, God Yes, or Fuck Yes."

"Then what are you waiting for?" She said, challenging him.

His lips assaulted hers once more, his tongue breaking past the barrier of her teeth and explored her mouth. They rolled into the bed and she took charge.

Her tongue made little traces along his shoulders as her hands caressed his chest. Damon's entire body tingled as he watched his lover's head move down his stomach as she continued to cover him with wet kisses.

She took the base of his cock in her hand and tentatively lowered her lips to the tip, and sucked on it, swirling her tongue over it. Each time his dick would touch the back of her throat, she closed her mouth tightly around his dick, locking the head of his dick in her throat. This sent shivers up through his body. He moaned for her to suck harder and harder. "Baby, baby come here," He pulled her up and turned them over, all hot and bothered for her.

What he wouldn't give to stay in bed with her forever.

His fingers dipped into her wet core. She pulsed around his fingers. He wanted his dick inside her. He was so hard it was painful. He wasted no time and pushed his full length inside her and stopped. "I spend quarter a day inside you and everytime, it gets better," He whispered, biting on her neck.

She moaned loudly. "So good."

"I'm going to make love to you until you scream. Until you know you're mine. No man will ever touch you again. Only me." He stared through her soul with his icy blue eyes. "I've already marked you so every man who sees you know who you belong to. I don't own you but you know you're mine."

"Yes, and you're mine."

"I always was."

He fucked deep inside her, grinding down and sending her over the edge again, followed by him, chanting her name. As her pussy contracted around his cock, he spooned himself behind her, adjusting his position. He pulled. Slammed in. Faster. Harder. He then fucked her for a good long hour, until they orgasamed again. They made love until they were completely tired and spent.

"You know you're crazy right," She said, sighing, realizing that she hadn't tired him out like she planned.

"When love is not madness it is not love."

"But your love is something else" She said, smiling, tracing his face with her fingers.

"It's an obsession, Queen. The Devil's obsession."

If only she could love him just as much, if only she accepts him just as he is. If only she could love the devil too.

..

..

She was sure, she was dreaming, but it all seemed so real. She could hear someone gasping, as if struggling to breath.

"Hello?" She said, looking around. "Is someone here?"

She could hear dripping water and a squeaking sound that reminded her of rats. She gulped thickly. A sudden movement startled her. She turned to see who it was, but no one was around. The wind swished as if someone moved again.

"Who is here?"

"Elena." She recognized the voice as Damon's and relaxed.

He was standing a little further away, but his face was covered with a cloak.

"Damon, Oh, Damon, thank god, you're here. I was so scared." She said, as she rushed to him but then she noticed something strange. The skin of his hands weren't smooth at all, it seemed chapped and blistered.

"Damon, what happened?" She asked, concerned.

She held his hands and made a face when she noticed huge wounds and rough nails. "This…, what the…,"

"Queen." His tone seemed soft. It reminded her of the stranger from her dreams, long time ago, the cloaked stranger who always offered her white roses but never showed his face.

"You're… you're the cloaked man?" She asked. "Why are you hiding your face?" She said as she reached for the hood and removed it.

Her eyes widened as soon as they fell on his face. Pale as sheet, eyes bloodshot, fangs growing out of his mouth, skin as if insects crawled under it. He was the face of horror.

She screamed on top of her lungs, stepping backwards.

" _Are you afraid of me?"_ He asked, somehow he seemed heartbroken.

"Please, don't hurt me." She pleaded, closing her eyes, shaking in fear.

" _Why would I hurt you, I love you,"_

"Let me go, please" She begged, her eyes still shut as if the very sight of him scared her.

..

..

She woke up in sweat, gasping.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Damon asked, back in his human form. It wasn't like he expected she would hear his story and accept him for who he was but he was a bit disheartened that she couldn't even bear to look at him.

"I… you're you." She didn't make sense when she blurted all sort of non sense. "A bad dream. A very bad dream." She said as she hugged him, tightly.

"Hey. Hey. It's fine." He hugged her back, pulling back.

"It was so scary." She said, pulling back. She still couldn't breathe of fear of what she had seen. It was clear as a daylight now, that Elena was only in love with Damon. She could never love the devil.

"Told you, Damon," He could already hear Stefan gloat, "Elena can never love a beast."

..

..

This charade was getting on his nerves, he had to pretend when he didn't want to, he knew deep down that now she was as bad as him, at least beyond the surface, yet he had to keep his identity hidden, covered by a sheath of dishonesty.

His senses had tricked him for a second, he thought he heard her, yes she always was there but just to make sure Damon was fine, never to encourage his reckless behavior, she despised it, didn't she? but right now, if his instincts and senses weren't deceiving him, he was pretty sure Elena was cheering for him like a teenager.  
"COME ON DAMON, destroy him, come on, you can do this." She was jumping in the crowd, enjoying the fight while the other men over there enjoyed her reactions.

He felt that change, he knew it wasn't some trick his mind was playing on him, it was actually her rooting for him to crush the other person's skull. She was thriving in the violence, loving the bloodshed.

When he won, she hopped in joy, her eyes weren't sparkling instead they had a warm fire in them, as if she fed on evil. She got in the ring , kissed him wildly, so passionately that he forgot his concerns for a second, "I knew you'd win."

"Lucky day." He replied.

She pulled him out of the ring, "Let's celebrate."

Like a lovey dovey couple they entered the bar, he kissed her palm, letting go of her hand, "I'll get us drinks."

She nodded as he went ahead, she still kept gazing at him when Caroline bumped into her, "Hey , What's up?"

"Oh, Hi, I am just here with Damon, we're celebrating, Damon won a fight from the last year's runner up,"

Caroline narrowed her eyes, "Didn't he promise you once that he'd quit that job."

"well yeah, but he's doing so well and… it's not that bad-,"

"Wow, are you serious, Elena you hate violence? Did he convince you about this? That disgusting lowlife-, look Lena Bonnie's right, this person has a bad aura around him, I mean he literally faked a car accident, he looks so moody all the time, he disappears every other two months, he'll break your heart again,"

Elena's eyes went very red, she felt her anger rising, if it weren't a crowded place Caroline would be dead.

"You know nothing about our relationship."

"There it goes, you sound like those middle school girlfriend, the type you always despised. Do you think you have a future or something. Elena, you're obsessed with a man who is not only a criminal but-,"

She tried to make her point but Elena seemed like she wasn't even listening to her. Her hands wrapped around the fork placed on the table and she half thought about thrusting it inside Caroline's chest. But she tried to get a hold of herself.

"You know what I despise right now, Care? You. You're just so jealous of how perfect we are probably because I am being loved like a queen and you know no one's going to love you like Damon loves me."

"Sure, just don't turn to us when he gets in ' a road accident' again."

"How dare you?" Elena said as she gripped Caroline's neck in an iron tight grip.

Caroline gasped, trying to breath, struggling to release herself from Elena's hold but she couldn't.

"Baby," Damon's concerned voice broke the spell. She pulled her hand back, a look of horror on her face. Caroline was coughing.

"Caroline, Caroline. Are you okay?" Damon asked her, as he handed her a glass of water that he suddenly had out of nowhere.

"I-, Damon, I attacked her," Elena seemed just as shock.

"She tried to kill me." Caroline said, short on breath.

"Listen, girl, nothing happened, you asked Elena to hangout but she turned you down. Now go." He compelled her and sent her away.

He then turned to Elena who wasn't in her senses anymore, scared of her own self. "Elena. Baby. Listen to me, you're fine." He said as he stared into her eyes.

"I'm fine." She repeated after him.

"Nothing happened. We were just here for a couple of drinks. Nothing happened." He said and she nodded.

He pulled her closer to him, kissing the top of her head. Cade was finally getting to her. But he won't let that happen.

..

..

He had worked all night to find how he could stop Elena's transition, the only way to do was, to make sure that she lived her human life and died a natural death. This was the only way she wouldn't be the dark spirit's puppet. Of course, it wasn't a permeant solution. But for now, this was his mission, to keep her safe.

Sage had been after him, to help her kill Cade but he wouldn't go. Not because he was afraid of Cade, but because he couldn't trust anyone with Elena's security. Everything was just so uncertain now. It seemed like he was trapped, having no way out to save the love of his existence. He thought as he flicked her hair again, making it fall on her face.

Even after exploring every part of her body, she was still the most interesting topic to him, he wanted to know every detail of her being. How she smiled? How she worked? How she reacted to things?

He loved how she got furious over the little strand of hair, he would pull out of her hair. She sighed in defeat, "You make me wanna go bald."

He laughed, as she tucked it back, "When will you text me?" He asked bored, he leaned against the table, invisible to her eyes.

She sighed, picking up her phone, then kept it back , "I can't call him now. I just talked to him an hour ago. He'll think I'm obsessed."

He raised a brow, "You know that's insane, you can't act like that after I've literally licked maple syrup off your breasts."

She blushed crimson red, doodling on her note pad " A call won't kill."

Before she'd pick up her phone, Stefan entered the room , "Elena there's something I wanted to talk about, can we go to my cabin."

Damon almost snarled, "Elena, stay. He probably has some romantic creepy speech."

She sighed getting up, "I'll be there in a bit."

Damon raised a brow, "Hey, maybe you misheard darling I said no."

She rose up and started to walk away.

"Elena, are you out of your mind , LISTEN TO ME."

He went ahead and grabbed her wrist, Stefan signaled and a couple of angels attacked him out of nowhere. Damon clicked his finger, burning the wings of their leader but they grew back instantly. They attacked him again. He conjured his axe and thrust it inside one of them, defending himself as the other tried to blow his head off.

" _Need our help? Nah, we can't."_ He heard Cade's voice. " _Too bad you left us. You have angered the dark spirit. And now you will have to deal with these wicked creatures yourself."_

"I don't need you or anyone. I'm the king of all evil," He shouted as he whispered a spell and burned the angels.

He marched to Stefan's room and broke open the door.

An empty room welcomed him.

"Stefan, I swear to darkness, I'll find you and I'll kill you, tonight." He hissed.

..

..

10 minutes ago.

"What is it Stefan?" Elena turned to Stefan once they were in the cabin.

"Elena, the whole Damon thing, when did-,"

Elena spoke before he'd finish, "Seriously, why is everyone so obsessed with my love life, Damon came back for me because he loved me, because he is meant for me."

"You have no idea how wrong those words sound, that lunatic is not right for you." He held her by her elbows pulling her forward, she tensed up "Stefan."

"Elena look me in the eye and tell me that you and I never had something real, I know he has compelled you with his dark aura, but darling look at me, feel this."

She pushed him away, "No, this… I don't want this Stefan. I love him. I can't lie."

"Elena." He held her tightly, his eyes suddenly turning into a light shade of green. "You'll forget that sinner. You'll leave him. And you'll love me. Only me,"

"Stefan, let go." She tried to push him away but he held her strongly.

"Tell me you love me, Elena?" He demanded.

"Are you crazy? Let me go!" She finally pushed him.

Before she'd turn around he held her, "I am sorry Elena, I have to do this, this is for you."

"What?" before she'd do anything to free herself, he pressed a wet cloth against her face, her cries muffled into the cloth as she fell in his arms, losing all conscious.

..

..

When she woke up she was in an empty room, it looked freshly painted, yet so strangely scary, she got up and ran towards the window, it was locked shut, she cried, "Stefan, please let me go, we can talk, please Stefan. This is wrong. This is a crime."

She beat on the door, until she was tired.

She searched for her phone, but in vain. Stefan had already taken it. After a while, the door opened. Stefan entered with a food tray.

"What is the matter with you?" Elena shouted. "Why am I here? What do you want with me?"

"I sinned for you Elena. Can you not see how much I love you?" Stefan replied, confusing her further.

"You have gone crazy." Elena hissed.

"Elena, you'll forget him soon, and then you'll be only mine. Do you know how much I waited for you, how much I longed to sleep in your arms."

Elena gasped, curling into herself, afraid that he had lost his mind.

"I have brought food for you. We'll start the ritual tonight. We'll compel him away from your mind and then I'll mark you. Elena, you and I, we'll live happily ever after. Away from darkness and all that is wrong."

"Get away from me." Elena hissed.

"I have brought you, your favorite." He said as he placed the tray infront of her.

"I don't want this." She turned her face away.

"Elena, listen." He cupped her face. Elena placed her hands on his chest, trying to distance them, then she felt something, maybe a cell phone. This was her chance.

"I love you more than that wicked monster ever will. He only wants your body and he aims to corrupt your soul. I want to keep you safe." He said in a desperate tone.

"Really?" She played along, reaching her hand to his pocket.

"Yes,"

"You know, Stefan, I… I believe you," She whispered as she took the phone and pulled her hand back. Stefan didn't notice. He was too busy staring at her lips. Slowly, he leaned in but before he could, Elena turned her face away.

"Elena… please." He pleaded as he tried to reach for her lips again.

"I only love Damon," She replied.

A strange look came over Stefan face. "You won't after tonight." He then pushed her away, almost making her fall.

He rushed back out of the room, she could hear him talk to someone, passing orders to hurry up. Once he locked the doors, Elena dialed Damon's number.

"You mongrel, when I-,"

"Damon, it's me." She whispered.

"Baby."

"Damon, Stefan has taken me somewhere. I don't know. He's acting all crazy and-,"

"Baby, baby, where are you?" Damon demanded.

"I don't know, I…"

"Think, look around." He said, worriedly.

"Well. I… I hear water." She stalked to the window. "I'm in some… forest. There is a well here. I-,"

The door opened with a bang and Stefan appeared. He sped to her, took her phone and broke it, shooting her a murderous glare. "He can't come here, Elena. Even for you. You know why? This place is his worst nightmare. This is the place where he was killed by my parents hundreds of years ago."

..

..

Damon knew where Stefan must have took her. It was his worst nightmare. It was in nature of a warlock to fear from the place of their death and he felt it too. He looked at the small hut near the well and looked away instantly. He was coward, he couldn't even look at it. How would he go there and save her.

"Elena. My heart." He whispered her name. "I need to go there for her."

..

..

"I promised them, Elena. I promised your parents that I would save you from the devil. My magic saved you from him for 18 years and that's why he killed them. He killed them because your mother broke the promise." Stefan said as he circled her.

"Stefan, you've gone insane." Elena said, making a face.

"Oh really?" Stefan asked. "Try to remember the night your parents died."

" _My Queen," She heard a familiar voice._

" _I'm Elena."_

" _I'm Damon."_

 _"So, Damon, tell me. What is it that I want?" She said softly, emphasizing his name._

 _He moved closer to her. "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, an adventure, and even a little danger."  
_ Elena hissed, as she stepped backward. "No. No. This isn't possible."

"That night, your parents drowned. You remember someone saving you, don't you? That was Damon but do you know who killed your parents."

"Your lying." Elena shouted. A series of flashes of a man came to her mind. Someone holding her close. Someone telling her that she was safe.

"That's how they do it, Elena. The darkness isolates you from everyone you love and then it pounces on you and takes your soul."

"Soul?"

"Yes, you offered your soul for Damon." But before he could complete, they heard shrieks outside. Stefan held Elena's hand and pulled her to him.

Damon appeared into the door way, glaring at him. "Look who joined our side."

Stefan looked down for a moment but then looked straight into Damon's eyes. "All's fair in love,"

"I'm actually impressed. You accepted the dark spirit and left your holy goodness… but it will all go down the drain because Elena is mine." He said as he stepped closer.

"She isn't yours." Stefan growled. "She was promised to me. And I've made sure she'll be mine." Stefan replied.

"You really think you can beat me? The king of-,"

"Yes, he can." They heard a loud cruel voice. "He has me," Cade appeared into thin air, almost giving Elena a heart attack.

"Damon-,"

"Don't worry, baby. No one can touch a hair on your head as long as I'm here."

"You won't be here longer, Devil. You'll be going to hell." Cade said and the room filled with fire.

Elena shrieked in fear.

"Stefan, give her to me, now or you'll forever regret this day." Damon ordered.

"Never."

With that, Damon attacked him. Stefan pushed him back, and threw him on the wall.

"Pure evil runs in his veins, driven by love, Devil," Cade said with a smirk. "He's your equal."

"He's a kid." Damon said as a ball of fire conjured from his hands and flew toward Stefan, hitting him in the chest. He fell to the ground, the wall of the room, destroyed along with him.

Damon conjured another ball of fire and threw it towards Stefan but he dodged it. He raised his hand and the floor started shaking, a strange loud voice echoed almost tearing open Damon's ear drums. He pushed his hand against his ear.

"Stop it. Stop it." Elena tried to intervene. "Stefan, please, don't hurt him." She stood infront of Damon.

"Why are you defending him, you silly girl. He killed your parents, And if that's not enough he's the one who ordered Jenna and Alaric dead," Cade shouted.

"This... this can't be," Elena said, shaking her head. "Damon, what is he saying?"

"Tell him, Devil, didn't you order Jenna and Alaric dead?" Cade questioned.

"Baby, I-," He said through pain.

"You know what? Let me show you." Cade said as he conjured an illusion of Damon and Elena on a bed in their heaven. Suddenly a call interrupts them. Damon goes out.

 _"Stop them, Klaus. Do anything. They shouldn't reach here. Elena must never know who I am until I say so." He ordered, strictly._

 _"As you command, King of all Demons,"_

Elena shook her head, tears dripping down her face.

"Elena. Elena. It's not what it seems." Damon screamed, trying to speak through blinding pain.

"You did all that." Elena said in a broken voice. How could he do that? How could he destroy her family? Then she remembered the words Stefan just spoke.

" _That's how they do it, Elena. The darkness isolates you from everyone you love and then it pounces on you and takes your soul."_

"Why would you do that?" Elena shouted.

"For you, Elena." Cade answered. "Your parents were an obstacle of his way to you. Later Jenna and Alaric found out too. The Devil could only have you, if you were all alone. And that's what he did. He made you alone and then he made you dependent on him,"

Elena shook her head. "No. No. No."

"Elena, don't listen to him, please. He's…" _He is pushing you to your limit. He is taking you toward darkness._ But he couldn't say it. The blinding pain was too much.

"He did it for you, Elena. The Devil is obsessed with you. He wants you. And for that he could do anything." Cade said, loudly.

Elena shook her head, shaking uncontrollably, crying as if someone tore her heart into pieces. Guilt was eating her, her parents were dead because of her, and she had been rolling on bed with her parent's killer. "Well, he's not going to get me," She stepped toward the broken wall, looking down at the height.

"Elena, no!" Stefan tried to stop her but Cade raised his hand, tying him up in an invisible web.

Damon tried to leap toward Elena to stop her but before she could, she jumped down the window.

"Nooo!"

..

..

The police had covered the place and marked it as crime scene but he wouldn't let her body go. Damon had wrapped his hands around her body, curling to her, silent tears escaping his eyes, falling on her chest.

He failed her. He was supposed to protect her. But in the end Cade won, she killed herself because of him.

He knew she would wake up now any minute. But she wouldn't be human anymore. She would be a half living witch of darkness. And she would hate him more than anyone could hate anyone.

"Mr. Salvatore, let her go." The Sheriff demanded.

"No. Let me hold her for a few seconds more." He pleaded, kissing her cold dead lips.

Slowly, he could feel heat returning to her body. She was coming back. But this wouldn't be his soft and sweet Elena.

He regretted it. He regretted coming to her life and ruining it. He regretted being so selfish.

Her eyes opened and locked with his. The brown orbs in her eyes had darkened. She was here, the Queen of all evil.

..

..

So, there would be major change in the coming chapters. Elena would be evil for a while. But this time, maybe she will fall in love with Damon and redeem him. And maybe Damon would redeem her.

I really hope you like it. Do tell me how you feel about Elena finally finding Damon's truth!

Waiting for your response on this!

MMI to update in 3 days.

Now, I'm off to read Carol's brilliant story, Welcome to the Jungle. It's such a well written murder case story.

Also, thank you for such brillinat response on the previous chapter. It means the world to me. You guys don't know how much it makes me happy.

Check out Marry Me Instead. Also new story coming soon!

Love,

May


	15. The Devil's Enemy

**Chapter 15: The Devil's Enemy**

* * *

Her hold had loosened around sand, let it slip through her fingers, it was amazing and terrifying, dying and coming alive, lost and found. Elena knew something was leaving her body, or left, but she could feel it now, when coming to conscious. It wasn't the same. Nothing was, was she sinking and distorting to oblivion. Before all this, all she remembered was that infinite forces were pushing every last strength from her body.

Her eyes shot open, she was lying on the bed with the comforter over her, leaving her face uncovered.

She breathed in, her eye balls moved from side to side, her vision was wider, sharper, she could even see a paper clip on the shelf from here like it was in her hand. She sat up, looked at her hands , they felt stronger, like hammers under her skin. The digits had somewhat webby feeling to them which she immediately noticed.

Her eyes travel down her shoulders to her bare body, her skin felt so fragile, yet she felt stronger. She winced at the contact of comforter with her skin. So intense. She couldn't bear it.

Her eyes darted to the back when she heard a little sound, she could sense it , "Damon."

She turned to see him appear from the dark, his eyes were drowned in worry for her. it was like his feelings spoke to her.

"What happened?"

She knew nothing was normal, she could remember, it was like a century ago, the wind pressure, the scream. She hissed when he touched her.

"I feel different? What's going on?"

He sat beside her, shaking his face, "I will tell you all about it. But for now, I want you to calm down."

She shook her head, "What happened to me? I'm me but I feel like,-"

"Like you're in a new body," He finished understandingly, cupping her face, she balled her hands in the sheets, "Don't. it feels –"

"How does it feel?"  
"It feels as if it's going to rip through." She had clenched her teeth as if in pain.

He shook his head, "Of course. Emotions intensified. But trust me, baby, you'll be okay.

"Trust you?" The reply was instant and ironic.

"Elena you need me, I can help you." He whispered pleadingly.

Her ears felt like bleeding, burning, just by his mere whisper and as if he sensed it, he stroked that area softly, he leaned in "Trust me Elena, I am not going to hurt you."

She didn't know why but she nodded, he touched her face as he said, "Try to accept it, feel it , close your eyes."

She did as he said.

"What do you feel?"

"I hear your blood running beneath it, I feel warmth, it can't hurt me."

"Good, open your eyes." he said sliding his hand down, his skin warm but dominating, calming but frightening her too.

He picked up a bucket with folded clothes. Picking up the black slip dress, he made her stand up, as the dress when over her body, she hissed , "It… it burns."

"It's going to be okay."

"Gloves," She looked at the dark sheer gloves that covered her arms.

"The room temperature would bother you for a while. It's better you wear these. I have made sure they are drenched in my scent…," He trailed off seeing her wince again.

After she dressed up, she looked around. She felt over whelmed, active but tired, terrified but relaxed, she could see a bird in the far end of the house, she could hear the droplets of water falling slowly in the tub, so many voices when she focused.

She could hear her scream in the back of her mind, "What happened? Where are we?"

"Master. We arranged all of mistress's things into her room." Someone appeared in thin air almost giving her a stroke. She screamed, hiding behind Damon.

"Hannah." Damon hissed. "I thought I told you to keep it quiet."

"My apologies! Master," The weak girl quivered.

"You may leave now. And don't come back here unless I ask for you." He ordered. The girl left immediately. Elena's eyes widened noticing the girl had horns.

"What? What's that? What is this place? Who are you?" She demanded.

"This is my palace."

"Your palace." Was this some kind of joke? How could he, the poor street fighter, afford a palace.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked around. It was dark in the room. Too dark. But she could still see perfectly. It was snowing outside. Snow? But this is July. Since when did it snow in July?

But before she could think further, the line of her thoughts disrupted. Somewhere further away, she could hear the giggle of a child. Delicious.

"I am hungry." She said appearing behind him as he was adding woods to the fireplace, he could sense she was cold. Ready to hunt. Every feeling in her body was heightened.

"What we have in the kitchen won't satiate you." He turned to her.

"So then get me something to eat," She snarled and cried when she felt her gum tear open and sharp teeth making their way down, burying into her lip.

"My Queen." He reached for her, holding her arms.

"Get away from me," She shouted.

"Elena."

"I am hungry. I need… something to eat. Get me something or else-,"

"Or what?" He asked in a challenging tone, stepping closer to her. He knew what was coming next. Every new born was like this. He loved her to no extent but it was better for her that she knew who was the boss here and how far before she exceeds her limit.

"Or else I'll feast on you." She couldn't believe she said it but her hunger was making her insane.

He walked towards her, "Well! Well, aren't you being impatient. You can't eat just yet, not until I undone this chaos."

"You've gone insane!" She turned to go, he held her wrist, kissing the gloved palm, feeling jealous of the clothe touching his Elena, "Though you are my queen, you will not disobey me!" His voice had authority ,"And till you starve , you're weak."

"Oh what the hell is wrong with you! I am hungry, let me go."

He picked her up, she kicked her feet in air, "Damon you will regret this."

He put her down on the sofa and out of nowhere a glass wall parted them, "I'll figure out something till then my love, I need you to be a good girl that you are. " His hand passed through the glass wall and stroked her cheek as light as feather, yet she felt the intensity of his touch. She tried to grab his arm but instead her hand met the unbreakable glass wall.

She clenched her teeth, "Damon I am warning you."

"And I am warned , just a little time my love, then you will eat all you want." He convinced her as if she was a kid.

She looked away from him as he went towards the door, "Wait, where are you going? Damon, come back, Damon listen to me. What's going on? What did you do to me? Answer me!"

She shouted but he had closed the door and locked it behind him.

..

..

"Where is Elena?" Stefan argued.

"She is where she is safe." Damon hissed.

"Damon, I swear to God,"

"Really? After switching over to our side, you still want throw God's name around like that," Damon said, cocking his head to a side.

Stefan clenched his teeth. "I want to see her."

"You'll never lay your dirty gaze on her ever. Not even for a second. Not after what you did." Damon growled.

"I did it because I was DESPERATE. I wanted her so bad that I could die for her. I wanted to save her from you. I was desperate." He shouted back.

"So desperate that you decided to give her over to darkness. If you love her how can you be so selfish?" Damon gripped him by his collar. "She was never meant for this life. She is an angel. She wasn't supposed to become a monster like us. She was supposed to live out a human life, have a family and live a happily ever after. BUT YOU TOOK THAT FROM HER!" He shouted in madness.

"I TOOK THAT. Her wish for normal life was out of the window the second you came into her life." Stefan replied.

Damon threw him away. He stepped back and punched the wall, making a hole in it. He took deep breathes to calm down his rage. "I was this close to killing Cade. I… I knew it was a long shot but I had a plan. Just a little time and I would have had him sent to hell forever. Then I was going to wipe her memory clean. Compel a family for her in a far far place. A family that would have taken her in and would have treated her like she was their own. She wouldn't know the truth and neither would they. I wanted to give her life that she had before I came along."

"You're… are you for real?"

"Yes. Then one day she would've met a man, a fine human man, she would have fallen in love and then… they would have gotten married, two kids… they would have lived the good old American dream." He snorted at the end at his own thoughts.

"But I thought you loved her." Stefan asked confused.

"I love her. But that doesn't mean I have to have her too. I'm not good enough for her. Screw that I'm not good for her at all." He replied.

The Devil was being selfless. How strange was that?

"You…you can't do that. You can't leave her."

"Who said anything about leaving. I was going to be there, I'm after all her protector. Always."

Stefan remained quiet, feeling speechless.

"But you… you ruined it." Damon growled. "She's in grave danger now."

Stefan shook his head realizing the severity of situation. "I want to see her. How is she dealing with transition? Let me see her."

"No. Never. Never will you ever see her." He hissed, his eyes turning red.

"I will see her even if I have to kill you for it."

"I have been murdered before. Death doesn't fear me."

"Then I'll send you to hell," Stefan hissed as his wings tore open through his back, ready to duel.

"That's where you belong."

"Why? I only sinned for the girl I love. You on the other hand murdered our parents." Stefan was ready to attack.

Damon's human appearance slowly started to burn and his true monster form took its place. "Love brought out the monster in you but it brought out the goodness in me." He whispered dangerously. "However I'm still capable of being the deadliest monster," He said, murmuring a spell to throw him in endless misery grave.

"Stop!" They heard a shrill voice. "Are you really going to fight now?

They halted, looking at the woman standing between them.

"Sage."

"The girl you both claim to love is in there in the dark room, having no idea what her fate plans for her and here you are, fighting like dogs. What's done is done, demon king! But if both really do love her you'll save her from getting lost like all those souls that are wandering around aimless in our world." Sage spoke to both of them.

"Yes. She's right." Stefan said, after a while. "I love Elena. I am ready to put aside our differences for her."

"I don't care for you or your differences. Just get out of my sight." Damon replied, turning around, shaking his head, worried about Elena again.

"Demon King. This angel has betrayed his masters but he has not yet lost his powers. He can help us keeping Mistress safe, with his spells to keep Cade out."

Damon took a deep breath and then nodded.

"I don't understand this. Why does Cade want her so bad?" Stefan muttered. "He already has all the power, even more so than the king of all freaking demons, now the only one left who is more powerful than he is, would be darkness itself,"

It clicked. Damon's eyes widened. "That's it."

"What?" Sage asked, confused.

"He wants to unleash darkness in its true form," Damon said, his fingers running through his hair in nervousness. "He wants to open the door to hell."

"But the lord of darkness has lost its true form… Queen Petrova destroyed it." Sage replied.

"That's what he wants. True form. A body. Elena's body. Lord of Darkness plans to take over her body. A body he knows neither angel nor Demon king can destroy. Because she's my heart. She has part Stefan's soul. The woman that both the angel and the demon love." Damon completed, horrified by the very thought.

..

..

" _My Queen," She saw a monster gazing at her while she slept, stroking her cheek gently. He was closer to her, so close that she could feel his breath on her skin. He was so close yet it felt he was so far away. Wait a minute. What was she doing in her old bedroom of her old house, the house she left after her aunt and uncle died. Then she realized, this was a memory. However, the most surprising and frightening addition to the memory was a monster standing by her bedside._

Elena woke up, breathing heavily. She looked around herself. The room was dark still. So dark. Yet she could see clearly. She was back to what Damon called his palace. She jumped when she heard a giggle. So strange. It wasn't an ordinary giggle. It was her giggle. She looked up and found herself staring back at her from the mirror but instead of the shocked look, her mirror self was smiling.

"Scared. It's only a start. Wait till you remember it all. Hey, did you know? Every face you see in your dreams; you've seen in real life? That's right, every single face you see, you've seen somewhere. Remember those big crowds in your dreams? Or the ones with strangers? You've seen those people once before in your lifetime. Why, you may ask? Well, it's because your brain isn't capable of coming up with faces itself. It simply doesn't possess that type of power." Her Mirror self said with a smirk.

Elena bit on her lip. What was this? Was she dreaming again? Oh, God.

"So do you remember those monsters you see in your nightmares? The ones with the pale, elongated faces with sharp big teeth? Your brain didn't make that up. You saw it somewhere; you just don't remember." Her Mirror self said with a laugh and she hissed, holding herself. "YOU DON'T,"

A rushing feeling took over her, it was like a river of information passing through her body , she was afraid it would tear her apart, her eyes closed under the effect, she could see her own self in her old room at her Parent's house writing in her diary, the noticeable addition was Damon at her side, looking at her with stars in his eyes, when she kept the diary on her nightstand to sleep , she saw him inching closer, his arms went around her, his lips pressed at the top of her head for a brief moment, she sighed in relief settling on the pillow, which now she could see wasn't a pillow at all but his chest , his fingers combed through her hair in a soothing way till she closed her eyes.

Elena shook her head, looking at the right side of the room, she could see herself working in her files wearing her nurse uniform, he was right beside her again, his fingers would pull out a strand of hair near her head or ears, she would be grumpy putting it back in place and he would do it again. She had never seen him smile like that at her, he was so much closer to her in his disappearance than ever in his appearance. Realization dawned on her. He was always there. Whenever the strand of her hair teased her, it wasn't the wind playing with her, testing her emotions, it was him. He was there. All the time. What was he?

A moment later she saw him at her bedside again, talking to her like he was her inner voice, she could hear her own thoughts and his replies all clear, his hand stroking her arms, loving warm eyes, soft touches.

It was beautiful and terrifying, she never knew this, and he didn't have any right to hide it. She could see herself getting ready wearing her light pink teacup dress, she could see his eyes stuck in the mirror on her face like he had never seen anything more beautiful, 'hairpin?' she thought and he moved it forward so she could easily reach it. She shook her head, picking it up and set her hair in a light puff. He was standing right behind her, "You look perfect."

"I look perfect." She repeated.

She shook her head to herself turning around and picked her bag, she needed to leave, she almost tripped over the box of pumps she bought last week but with the flip of his finger he moved it out of her way, "Careful, my queen." His voice was sudden. "So now I am supposed to clean up after you. Well. Okay, it's not like being the devil king I have anything to do except maybe spreading chaos and destroying lives." He muttered as she left, leaving the room dirty. Now as she remembered when she came back, her room was clean, everything in its place. At that time, she thought Jenna did it for her but now she knew the reality. So, all that good luck, it was devil's gift to her.

Then that night? When she was feeling like her life was meaningless, she missed her parents, he was there right beside her, trying to calm her down and when nothing worked, he chanted something; 'make her pain mine' that turned him to burning piece of flesh, his skin tore to reveal the true him as he yelled in torment and winced for an hour long until the pain had faded.

Why would he take away her pain?

Another memory played in front of her, of course, now she could see Damon too, the devil that had been invisible to her before.

He rested his head in her lap looking up at her as if she was a prize, his long red hand with sharp nails was stroking her cheek with the back of his hand and just then Alice barged in and shouted. She could see him. But memory Elena couldn't. Alice's cries were ignored.

Elena shook her head and wept quietly, "Oh. Alice. Baby. I'm so sorry."

And then a memory played before her, a memory that she didn't clearly remember at all.

" _You want a love that consumes," He said to her, while she watched him dreamily. "What do you want?" She asked._

 _"I want you to get everything that you're looking for, but right now I want you to forget that this happened. Right now, I have to go. I have to save you from your fate. But I promise you, we'll meet soon. Goodnight, my queen."_

 _With a quick wave of his hand, a blank look came over memory Elena's face. Confused, she turned around._

He did something to her that made her forget about her memory of meeting him. Her eyes widened. What was he? What did he want with her? She was still in her thoughts when she saw a cloaked man coming toward her, she remembered him from the man, who would always offer her white rose. She never saw his face. Was she dreaming again? As she stepped toward the cloaked man, she caught a glimpse of his face. She almost screamed at the sight of him. He was scarier than her worst nightmare. The cloaked man disappeared like every other memory. Was it an illusion? What was happening?

Another memory her appeared along with Damon again. She was all wet as if she had just taken a swim. She was coughing up water and shivering. She remembered the memory, it was from the night she had almost drowned, the night her parents died.

 _Don't leave me, please." She pleaded. "I'm scared."_

 _"I'm here. You can't see me, but I'm here with you." He vowed._

How is that possible? She hissed. How could he be there at the night her parents died? Up till now, she had realized that Damon was no ordinary human, he was a supernatural creature. Something really terrible. Her mother had always told her stories about dark witches and warlocks who practiced dark witchcraft. Was he one of them?

Then what did he want with her? Why had he locked her in the room? What did he want from her? As disturbing questions flooded her mind, she felt a strange urge, an urge to rip open and chew flush.

Her parent's screams filled her mind, their screams, and their whimpers as they slid off the bridge and into the water.

"Jenna and Alaric were murdered." She remembered Stefan telling her that and then Caroline's description of the creature… she said that the creature that killed her aunt and uncle wasn't some normal murderer, he could take bullets and walk unaffected. Does that mean… he killed her aunt and uncle. So that means he killed her parents too. So they could corner her… all alone. She didn't know what he wanted from her but she sure as hell wouldn't make it easy on him. He destroyed her family and her life. She would destroy him. She was her lover's sworn enemy now. The devil's enemy.

..

..

"I can put a charm around the house for some time, it would keep Cade away from Elena, you and your… friend can figure out a way to stop darkness from taking over her body." Stefan suggested.

"How long can you keep it up?" Damon said, he had all but forgotten his animosity with his brother. They had decided for a peace pact to save the girl they loved so much.

"One week." Stefan replied.

"That won't be enough," Sage said, shaking her head. "Cade will have us banished to hell by then,"

"Not if I do it first."

They all turned to see Elena staring back at them, her eyes cold, holding a dagger in her hand.

..

..

**Elena is totally getting a wrong idea. How hard would it be for Damon, Stefan and Sage to control her? Will the darkness be able to take over her? What is the future for Damon and Elena's love!

Are you guys still interested in this plot! I need to see if enough people are following it so that I could continue it. I'm confused though because Marry Me Instead will finish this weekend most probably and then I plan to finish the devil's obsession (depending on response). Forget Me Not hasn't had too much response, maybe I'll discontinue it and start another one.

Do let me know what you think of chapter. Did it give you chills? I tried though.

Review?

P.s: Did you guys see the legacies poster, the DE + EG written on Damon's desk. It's too adorable I can't even... anyway I am sure Damon is the one who carved it!


	16. The Devil's Mistress

_Dear Readers!_

 _I had a little writer's block on whether how I wanted this story to end. But now I have all figure out. And I really hope you'd like that. We are close to end. Just five chapters left._

 _Enjoy the chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter 16: The Devil's Mistress**

"Devil." She looked at him, her eyes blood red.

"Elena."

"So you're the reason behind my bad luck. And here I thought why fate has made me target to all the grief in the world. Turns out, it wasn't fated at all. It was a curse. You. You were that curse." Elena pointed at him.

Damon took a deep breath and then pursed his lips.

"And Stefan. Dr. Stefan Williams. Former Angel. Fallen now from His grace because of your sins. You two played me like a game." Elena's teeth clenched.

"It was destiny, her highness." Sage's interrupted. "You are our queen. You are alive because of our power. Your parents took oath to the darkness so they could save you." Sage was about to tell her about tell her about Damon's sacrifice but Damon held his hand up silencing her.

"How are you out of the room?" Damon's voice was commanding. It affected her. It was as if he was the puppet master, and could easily play her with strings.

"You can no longer bind me." Elena said, glaring at him.

"I beg your pardon but dear I actually can." He replied.

Elena dashed to him and with full force punched him, but he caught her fist in mid air. "Don't you dare, Elena you might have played around and found a few tricks but trust me baby you need a lot to give me a challenge."

She demanded, "Leave me now."

"Enough." He gripped her from the sides gesturing Stefan, he nodded and Elena could actually read Damon's expressions.

"NO!"

"Not another word Elena." He said in a firm voice.

Stefan flashed behind them and helped Damon drag her back, they entered in a pitch dark room and Elena couldn't notice any material till she felt heavy iron on her wrists, he made her sit in a chair despite her protests.

"Damon I swear you'll regret this!" she shouted.

Stefan turned to Damon and he shook his head, "It's okay let her scream."

"Stefan really? You too?" Elena said in a hurt voice.

"Trust me it's for your best Elena."

She shook her head, "No! you both are selfish! He's doing this for his power and you are doing this because you want revenge on me."

Damon rolled his eyes, "Holding you back gives me no power."

"It does, you want power over me, but your truth is uncovered, you do know that I'd never look twice at you if you let me go. I loved the mask of the man that you put on the devil. Never you. I don't love you." She spat and then turned to Stefan, "And you? Does it hurt that I chose him over you Doctor? Let me tell you everything-"

Damon snarled, "Don't listen to her Stefan, she'd do anything to mess with us."

Stefan nodded, "let's go."

She tried to pull at her restraints, "Let me go, Damon, fight me!"

"Not today doll! " he gestured Stefan to leave along with him

Through the day, they kept shifts to check on her, although he was sure that she couldn't break the restraints, he would make it sure.

Stefan had just come back and sat opposite to him, "All okay."

Damon nodded drinking a sip from his bourbon and poured him some. He looked at him and then sighed taking it, "She kept listing reasons why I should let her go."

Damon looked up "like?"

"like she's all alone, I am her only friend, like she is afraid what's happening and she deserves answers."

"Stefan let me figure this out and we can fix it all later, she is safe here."

"No matter what our orientation is Damon, we won't hurt her." Stefan tried to take some stand.

"That isn't my motive and you know it, stop discussing things with her, just look over. Don't converse." He ordered and then stood up as he heard her shout uncontrollably.

He shook his head stomping his glass, "That's enough."

He went towards that room and almost broke open the door with force, "QUIET ELENA! " he said loudly she gulped looking up at him with her warm brown chocolate eyes , her eyes filled in tears, that won't shed, "Please unchain me." Her voice was above a whisper.

"I am tired, my hands hurt, I can't sit, this seat is biting my skin." She emotionally tangled him as his eyes softened, she looked down, "I know you won't do that, you win, I give up."

She felt him stroke her hair away from her face, he slowly held her chin up, "Elena I know you don't understand me right now."

She nodded her head like an obedient pet , "I do Damon, I do understand now , this pain is too much , these chains , the air here , please free me of it."

"Elena-"

She interrupted him "I know I was rude but I've learned, please take me to your room, I need to be with you, I feel so sensitive to this place right now." She spoke softly, her best innocent voice on. She could see what it did to him, his whole tough and solid demeanor was flipped off, he was easier than Stefan, maybe love was making him dumb, she almost smirked seeing it work.

"Damon, my wrists hurt. I hurt. You can't leave me here alone again. I need you. I don't know what's happening. Why is this happening? I'm confused, devastated. You understand me, don't you." She spoke softly, tears rolling down her cheek.

"I do," he whispered.

"You love me Damon. Please make the pain go away."

"I will." He promised, bending down on his knees, close to her.

"Untie me Damon. Please, will you?"

"No. I can't." He whispered.

"Damon, you know me, I promise I would listen to whatever you say. I won't harm anyone. I just want to be with you. I love you. I want to feel your arms wrapped around me. I'm scared I just want you to hug me." She pleaded.

Lie. Everything was a lie. He knew that because he was the devil. He could smell a liar from fifty miles away. She planned to kill him and escape the first chance she got.

"I want to be with you. Let me go and we'll be together forever. Like you always wanted. You love me, don't you? You can't bear to live without me." She whispered. "How can you bear to see your lover in so much pain?"

"Not until we reverse the spell, my queen. Not until I give you your humanity back."

"I. Don't. Want. It. Back." Elena shouted, back to her cruel self. "I don't want to be the fragile play doll of yours. I would destroy you and everyone on the planet. If I'm not happy no one deserves to be happy." She screamed.

"This is not you, Elena. This is the darkness speaking."

"You're such a coward, Devil." Elena spat. "I almost tricked you."

"I knew you were lying." Damon said, eyes downcast. "But I can listen to you lie all day."

"Such a sap you are." Elena said wickedly. "Well. Whatever. Your sappy words don't humor me anymore. I despise you."

"Doesn't matter. I love you."

Elena huffed and looked away.

..

..

"Devil. Devil. I'm hungry," She could hardly breath. "I am weak, Damon. You're destroying me. You're destroying the woman you love for the wicked world that doesn't give half damn about you."

"You don't either."

"Damon. Please." She begged, her eyes soft again, like the woman he once loved.

"Damon." She whispered eagerly.

He looked at her as if reading her expressions and shook his head as she whispered, "Please take me."

He brought his wrist to his mouth and tore the skin with his teeth, she swallowed thick, she could feel that attraction to the red liquid seeping out staining his wrist, but she knew he was distracting her, she fought it, "I don't need that, I need you."

He almost groaned with frustration, as he brought the wrist closer to her lips, she licked her lips still resisting it, "I uh-I" she couldn't think or process what happened but suddenly she was sucking the wound for more, pulling aggressively on her restraints, he could only imagine what she's do if she was free, he pulled his wrist from her when he thought she had enough. Her tongue was still out and red as she looked up at him almost with earlier anger as if asking him why he did that.

"how do you feel?" he asked wiping her mouth off the blood, she licked his thumb clean moaning at the taste, his eyes darkened, this was harder than he thought.

"I feel you in my system." She said in a dreamy voice "And I want to feel you between my legs now."

He swallowed thick, who was in control again? He could feel the restraints on him." Oh Elena the second I figure everything out I'll make sure you know what those words mean."

She shook her head now, "I can't wait Damon, please Damon,"

"Elena. No. I don't want you to do something you'd regret later." The Temptation was just too much for him.

"I won't." She urged. "The need is too much. Damon. Damon if you don't touch me sooner. I might die again."

He unchained her, still cautious. She rubbed her hand, not that it ached. And before he could move back, she pulled him closer by his shirt.

She attacked his lips and rolled them round her teeth, then her tongue. His mouth covered hers hungrily. He was starved, starved for her, starved for her love. She nipped at his lower lip with her teeth, sending a straight shot of pleasure to his groin.

Then she attacked his white shirt, sliding it off his shoulders to reveal his bare chest. Elena tossed her hair over her shoulder, and dove in for his mouth again.

He moaned, kissing her back. She didn't feel a thing as he materialized them to his room. He eased her down on the bed, covering her body with his.

She closed her eyes tightly against the savage desire reflected in his gaze. He was hard and huge and pulsing, so ready to sink deep inside that enticing little body of hers.

"Your breath. Your heartbeat. Your sound. It all belongs to me. You know." He whispered as he nibbled on her ear. "You see how your skin respond to my touch." He said, showing her the goosebumps on her skin, an aftermath of his touch.

She smiled wickedly.

"I know what you're doing Elena. I'm not a fool."

"It's not my fault that I'm your weakness. I tried that on Stefan but he's too afraid-,"

"Don't you dare again." He hissed.

"Oh, Devil. I'm scared." She mocked.

"You're driving me crazy. Do you know how dangerous I could be? Don't push my buttons." He could barely suppress his anger.

"This is your true form. Devil. This insecure, jealousy, fire and anger. That's true you. Not the love sick sap." She mumbled, touching his face lightly with the pad of her fingers.

"Don't stain my love for you, Elena. What I have for you is pure. It's sinless. It's true."

"I don't care." Elena mumbled. "I don't feel anything. What I know is that I have needs and if you don't fulfil them, someone else will."

He growled like a lion angered.

"I own you. Every time you scream my name, I own you. I own every single fucking inch of you. I make you come. I make you scream. I make you beg for more." His words made him shiver.

She let out laugh as he attacked her neck with kisses.

He fucked her like he had never fucked a woman in his life. He was angry, and at the same time hurt. They went at it all night, until they were both sated. She wasn't herself, she didn't cuddle with him after they were done, like she always did, nor did she tell him that she loved him, yet he still huddled closer to her, holding her tightly, taking comfort in just her presence because that's all he got for now.

..

..

The last two to three weeks were in a state of trance, she wasn't realizing what she was doing but she wasn't going against the clockwork, it was less stressing for now.

She was blinking looking at her hand after waking up, though her skin didn't change it felt very flaky , she held it above her head seeing the light particles collide against it, her eye sight was very good now.

She was lost in thought when she saw his hand in air tracing up her naked arm to entwine their fingers, she turned her head slightly to see him awake, she gave a soft smile, as he leaned in and kissed her cheek, "morning,"

She felt less shaky when he was touching her, his skin comforted , the sound of him breathing was soothing to her. There were times when she was just in one of her anger rampages, she would lose control and destroy anything that would come in front of her, those times he would just take her in his arms, kiss her and make love to her until she calmed down. He had become her drug. His body now was her safety blanket.

"You okay?" He asked seeing she was very quiet today, usually she had a lot of questions.

She nodded, "Why isn't everything normal?"

He frowned, "What isn't?"

"nothing." She turned away from him, she thought he'd leave but instead he wrapped his arms around her spooning her. "My love, My queen, are you up for your potion already."

That's what they called his blood as it took most extreme sensations in her body away but drinking blood from him was the last thing on "normal" list.

She shook her head against his arm, he chuckled "okay bringing normal back, what do you want? Coffee? Scrambled eggs?"

She rolled her eyes at his ironic tone

"Isn't it weird that I sleep with my food." She said in a humorous tone to which he dramatically gasped " Ouch did you just call me food?"

She turned in his arms, "truth hurts." She said playfully.

He rose his brows at her "Don't ask for trouble."

"At this point , I am not even slightly in suspense."

He rolled them over being on top of her, "Oh you will be."

Her eyes darkened as he leaned over her trapping her hands , she squirmed in her place "Damon."

He very much enjoyed dropping butterfly kisses over her exposed skin, her cheeks , nose and her neck, till she couldn't take the softness of his hair on her neck anymore "Okay I am sorry!" she yelped.

He smirked raising his head to see her "Making you agree on things I don't even remember is the highlight of my day." He dropped a kiss on her lips, then parted to look at her face , she was looking right back at him.

"Hungry?" he asked stroking her cheek.

She couldn't voice it, she just nodded.

Right infront of her he tore into his wrist and held it out for her , her eyes were fixed on his blood stained lips , she moved up and kissed him licking the thick metallic sweet nectar off his lips , when she parted his eyes were wide , she held his wrist and attached her mouth to it sucking the blood from it as his eyes were burning into hers , almost to the point that she could deduce he was hungry.

She pulled away from his wrist watching his wound closed she licked it clean in adoration, Ah, the taste of blood so full of sins, it was so sweet, "Want some?" She joked.

"I do, not that though."

She simpered as he leaned in to kiss her.

She was steadily earning his trust but not enough to make him clear all things to her, it was like he expected any wrong move from her so he can lock her up again , but she wasn't that stupid to give him that easily, he knew his queen , he knew she was cunning like she was desirable but he wanted to see how it lasted.

From what had been noticing she was trying to accommodate to this new life of hers and seeing her try deviated his thoughts from being too suspicious but still he hadn't let go completely.

She was preparing a bath for herself sitting in the bathroom outside the tub she was running her hand in the water as if learning something new.

"Hey."

She looked up at him, her shoulders were tensed as if she was caught doing something, "Hey."

"That's going to hurt your skin." He pointed at the faucet running very hot water, she sighed "reminds me off my home in hell." She said with a chuckle, fake he thought.

She held his arm, "Join me."

He grinned, "emm That's hard to turn down but I have to take care of some amends. "

She looked into his eyes getting up from the floor she smiled asking, "How long will I have to miss you then?"

He cupped her face feeling slightly superior, "Two hours maximum, but don't you be bad cause I have Stefan here guarding you."

She played with his collar, "Hmm I'd be bad if you were the guard."

He held her hand, "No, not now, I have to go, when I come back I'd be utilizing your coupon."

She rolled her eyes, "Or me."

He gave her a quick kiss, "be a love and dress up for me."

She winked as he let go, when she heard the door close she finally relaxed. After taking a shower she went outside the room, she could see Stefan at the end of the corridor in the room, reading a book.

She acted natural and walked to him, " Can I get water?"

He shrugged "Yeah sure."

"Get me water Stefan." She felt like she sounded like Damon as she made him stand up "Okay, but don't waste your energy Elena the doors are locked and will open when me and Damon want."

"Bla. Bla. I don't care." She snapped sitting on the sofa picking up the book he was reading, "Huh romantic! Really?"

He didn't answer her just gave her a judging look leaving, when she saw him gone completely she quickly went to his attached room looking for some clue that would lead her to clear this supernatural mess.

She had wanted to look for it in Damon's room but Damon kept no such thing in unlocked drawers and locked anything suspicious in magically locked drawers.

She got hold of his old dairies in a box, she picked up two to three and stuffed them in her jacket , the reason she wore a baggy jacket.

When she went back to the room and sat in the exact position, he came back holding a glass of water for her.

She smiled taking the glass from him "Thankyou Stefan."

..

..

Maybe this was the answer to everything. Elena thought.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I found out why we are the cursed family. I finally found out my father's dark secret. My brother hadn't died of tuberculosis. He was murdered by my own parents._

 _I wouldn't believe it but Damon led me to the dry well today. I didn't want to go. Legend says that whoever goes to the forest of witches never return but I did. Maybe because I had my brother by my side. He showed me how exactly my father had him poisoned and thrown in the well. Damon didn't die of that. He was still alive. Still breathing. They could save him but father dug him a grave and buried him alive._

 _When I asked grandmother, she shushed me and told me Damon was evil. He had to die. I wanted to tell her Damon was right behind her, listening her say every word and he was very angry. But Damon told me not to._

 _Stefan_

 _.._

Elena looked up, a bit shocked by the revelation. So Damon was murdered. Elena flipped through the pages.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I know how grandmother died. Damon killed her. I know because I saw Damon pushing her down the roof. Not that she didn't deserve it._

 _Stefan_

 _.._

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Damon is going to kill father. I don't want him to do that. He's all I have but Damon insist that papa deserves it. I am very scared. I told papa that Damon wants him dead but papa says I have lost my mind._

 _I even told him about Mama's deal with the local undertaker Cade, and that Mama asked him to bring Damon back. He doesn't believe me. What do I do?_

 _I wish Damon would just go away and leave us alone. I don't want a brother anymore. He's a monster._

 _Stefan_

 _.._

Elena could hardly make a sense out of the diary entries, she read it from start to end and found out that Damon was murdered because of some strange incidents that led to him. Some events that weren't exactly his fault. He was just at wrong place on wrong time. But somehow he managed to come back to life, and took revenge from all people that were involved in his murder.

She stood up and the diaries fell from her hands. She picked it up and her eyes fell on a badly torn page. It seemed as old as time, ink smeared.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I talked to Lexi. I need to free the world of the monster my mother created. I have to destroy all the traces of his death including his dead body but I can't get to it._

 _Stefan._

His dead body. Elena thought.

"Don't worry Stefan. I'll do your work for you." She smiled wickedly

..

..

"Why don't you tell her that you didn't kill her parents?" Sage asked Damon.

"She's already overwhelmed with what she had become. If I tell her why they died and that who is the true murderer, the feeling that would reach her heart first would be guilt. She would think it's her fault that they are dead, she might become destructive again. I don't want that. I want to give her happiness. I want my love to break her shell. My love should be the first feeling she feels, the feeling that turns on her humanity."

"I hope that works before she commits some serious sin. You know what she would become if that happens."

"I know. The Darkness will get the channel to this world. He'll take over her body forever. She'll be the dark lord. And under no circumstance can we let that happen."

..

..

 _I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do review! Tell me how you feel about evil Elena and devil Damon. This is about to take a huge turn._

 _I'll be eagerly waiting for your thoughts._

 _Also, guys check out my new story_

 _ **Story: Inked Hearts: A story of deception and endless love**_

 **'Emotional cheating is also cheating, Damon.' 'Why do we hurt someone we love so much?' 'You were going to kiss her.' Damon S is happily engaged and head over heels for his fiance Elena, but he commits a sin, a sin she can't forgive. He cheats on her. Elena is emotionally wrecked. Will Damon win her back or is it too late for them? 5 chapters only.**

 **Do review and tell me if you want me to continue the new story and if you find it good because I'm a bit insecure about that.**

 _ **Thank you. Love you guys!**_


	17. The Devil's Oppressor

Chapter 17: 'The Devil's Oppressor'

* * *

She refused to look at herself in the mirror in fear of the visage that she might see reflected back at her. She wasn't a human anymore. That very thought terrified her. But today, she had to look at herself because how else will she gain the courage to face the world if she couldn't face herself.

She looked up to see a beautiful girl staring back at her. Long brown hair, doe eyes but the innocence of her face was gone. Losing herself was the worst thing that happened to her.

She felt a rage like she hadn't felt ever. It was like fire. Of course, the darkness in her wasn't still in control. Like a beast, she shouted, picked up a brush and threw it on the mirror. The cracks in the mirror truly depicted what she was on the inside, broken and how she hated herself.

Shards of glasses flew everywhere, on her face, hurting her, making her bleed.

"Elena," She could hear Damon approach.

The darkness was torturing her with memories, making her realize that she had lost everything and making her relive her sorrows.

He pulled her towards his chest and found himself embracing her greedily, passionately. She still growled as if warning him. "Calm down. Try to breathe. Clear your mind of that. Think of happy times. Think of the time, your father bought you a bike. Think of the time you and your aunt Jenna gave your mother her dream spa moment. Think of your family. Think of your mother when she cooked your favorite apple pie for you." It was only worst that he was making her remember them. She made effort for him to let her go as she wailed in agony. She didn't want him to get in her head but his words got through her and like a movie, she remembered all those memories, one followed by other.

She took deep breathes as she thought of happier times. Slowly, the burning sensations in her chest stopped.

"I'm hungry." She breathed.

"You can drink from me." his ocean blue eyes were wide with empathy.

"No. I want real blood. Human blood." She ordered.

"No, queen." He said cupping her face as if her trembling would soothe from it.

"Fine." She murmured giving up on everything she believed in, she held on to his neck and with a fast movement drew his body towards her before she bit into his neck, chewing on his flesh, hurting him as much as she could, taking out all her anger on him, she wanted him to feel the worst, feel like he didn't mean anything to her but he stood still and let him hurt, in hopes that one day she'll forgive him. One day she'll love him again.

..

..

It had been two months to her turning now. She was considerably better. She would lash out at everyone now and then but she had a good control over her emotions now.

Every morning she would wake up in Damon's arms. Despite her constant reminder, that he was only her sex toy, she would still find him snuggling to her, smelling her hair, enjoying her touch. She had the devil wrapped around her pinky.

She would wear her clothes that were dipped in his scent so they wouldn't sting her over sensitive body. Then she would go to the breakfast table where Damon's servants would already had prepared breakfast for her. She would spend her day either in the library or watching a movie.

She wasn't allowed to step out of the house by the king of the castle. Everyone in the castle was scared of her because when something bothered Elena, Damon would make sure to destroy it. Like the other day, she screamed at the witch who'd touched her hair without her permission when she was just supposed to dress her up.

When the devil found out he was angered, he banished her to the hell to rot for life. "No one touches my queen until she or I say so." He ordered everyone. The wizards that would come for service would make sure they never look at Elena twice because if they did, and if they thought about her in any way, the devil would pull their head out and feed them to the wolves. She was that protected and guarded.

What devil didn't know was that his beloved queen was plotting to destroy him once and for all, like the voices in her head told her to.

But to destroy him she had to destroy his body, his human body that laid near the well. However, she wasn't even allowed to leave the house, how could she do that.

"Damon is too sharp for you. Why don't you try Stefan?" A voice in her head told and she smirked.

Stefan had been trying to gain her attention for a while. But she never looked at him twice.

"I even left my coven for you," he reasoned with her.

"Well. I never asked for you to do it." She told him cruelly. "Personally, I don't think you were ever an angel. I for one, think you're the bigger evil. You're just best at hiding it from everyone."

He looked hurt by her words but like Damon was being patient, he was too. Sooner or later Elena would realize that he was the better option.

This happened a few days ago but looks like she had to change her strategies.

"Revenge. You sweet thing."

..

..

"Stefan." She murmured his name.

He looked back, confused. "Are you talking to me?"

"Is there any other Stefan here?" She said, raising a brow.

He looked nervous as she approached closer. "Have you been to the city lately?" She asked.

"Yeah. Just the other day."

"How are my friends? Do they miss me?" She asked, her doe eyes full of sadness.

"Yes. In fact, just yesterday, they held your memorial." He bit his lip realizing what he just said.

Elena let out a chuckle. "Hmm. Oh. Wow. Never thought I would hear that."

"Caroline visited your grave yesterday. She had gifted you so many flowers. They do miss you. And… so do I." he wanted to crack her walls down, but she wasn't in that mood.

"Hmm. Flowers." It was going to become easier. "I miss the smell of flowers. White roses, specially."

"Oh, I can get you some." He let the back of his hand caress her cheek.

"You can?" she moved away from his reach.

"Anything for you, Elena. I love you." He said softly.

She was so tired of hearing that. What do monsters know about love! she felt like a monster and love was the last thing on her mind. Both of these brothers had been like this for years, she never expected emotion in them, just their wish to gain control over her.

"Well. If you really wanna get me some. Get some from the forest near the outskirts of the fells, near the dry well. I've heard the best one grow there." She bit her lip and then forced a smile, trying to lie through her teeth without him catching her, " I use to pick them when I was – alive," She tried her puppy eyes on him.

He nodded eagerly, "Anything that makes you feel at home." and disappeared.

Once he was gone, Elena took a book. White roses were poison to the king of devil because it happened to grow on the soil where his body was buried. She couldn't stab his human body so she would poison him.

..

..

" _Give me her pain instead." He whispered to the roof and then he withered on the floor as if he'd been set on fire._

Elena woke up with a gasp. What the hell was that? Another memory?

"Queen." She heard Damon's voice as he entered the room. "Well. Wake up. We have big plans for today."

"Why? What's happening?"

"Well. So long as I don't find a solution to this mess I was thinking let's make the best out of it. We're having a Warlock's ball. And of course as my queen you're invited."

"What? You guys have a ball?" She asked.

"Yeah. We have a social life too you know." He smirked. "It's more of a ritual. This is the night we veil the moon and take as much power from the shadow lord as we can." He added, his tone serious. "All the warlocks and wizards that are under my kingdom are going to be there. This one is extra special because of you."

"Because of me?"

"Yes." He moved closer to her. She found herself stepping back until she was trapped against the wall and him. He slowly caressed her face. "You. My Queen."

He moved closer to take her lips into a kiss, she bit his lowerlip, drawing blood as she kissed him back.

Slowly, she kissed down his throat and bit on the point where his neck and chest joined. She bit him and chewed on his flesh like she always did, this time with intention to bruise him forever.

..

..

"Ahh." He groaned in pain as Sage cleaned his wounds.

"White roses essence. How does she even know?" Sage said as she looked at the bruised skin. It looked like he had been cut over and over again and then burned.

"Probably from some book in the library. Damn, I forgot to hide that." He said. He remembered how he always gifted her with the white rose, every time they went, when she was human. It was a symbol of how much he loved her, the white rose was poison yet he would bring her that because it had the innocence of the soul he once had.

"Well. If you know why don't you tell her to stop hurting you?"

"No. I will bear it. If this what soothes the pain that I had given her, if hurting me is what satisfies her then let that be." He chose to be selfless around her, secret hold on his humanity was this girl, who made him feel closer to light.

"You know, devil. Her love is disease for you."

"A disease that won't leave me until she has me banished to hell."

..

..

Didn't she look like an angel? He thought as he introduced her to the elite warlocks and witches.

One by one, people bowed to her and offered her gifts.

She accepted the gifts and engaged and small talk with them until he interfered. "May I have a dance?"

"Not like you've ever asked before."

"Well. Tonight I ask."

"Sure." She said as she placed her hand in his. He kissed the top of her hand and then walked her to the dance floor.

They slowly twirled on the dance floor between other couples. He looked at her like she was a full moon on the dark sky, so alluring so beautiful.

"What?" She asked, quizzically.

"I have a surprise for you tomorrow."

"What is it?" She asked immediately.

"It's a surprise." He said in a 'duh' tone.

She rolled her eyes.

"Let's go outside. It's been awhile that you have had taste of fresh air." He said as he pulled her closer.

"Really?" She said, for the first a real emotion on her face.

He led her to a door and then to stairs. He clicked his finger and they were suddenly on the roof top of a big tower, facing the full moon that was hiding in the clouds.

She let out a sigh of happiness as she twirled around in the open air. He rose his hand in a dance like a moment and she felt floating in the sky. Wait, was she flying? She thought.

 _I wish it would rain. Elena thought as they were on their magical trip with Damon. Everything so far had been so perfect._

 _So be it. He said and chanted something slightly and it rained. And then she kissed him in the rain like she always wished._

She could remember the snippets of the best day of her life, right before Jenna and Alaric died.

She opened her arms and dived in the air with a giggle escaping her lips. As he watched, arms crossed.

"If only time would stop and I'd watch you smile forever,"

..

..

She was twirling until she felt his gaze on her even in the slight darkness, moon was almost full and it's light was enough to let her see him. She paused "What?"

He was mesmerized with her, "This light-"

"The moonlight?" She looked up at the sky.

"yeah, it makes you glow." He moved towards her, "This universe is made for you I am convinced, everything here adds to your glory my sweet and innocent queen."

She cocked her head to a side, if only she could change him, she shook her head turning from him but he held her hand pulling her closer in one swift move, "Don't doubt my words."

"initiating roof sex?" she smirked.

He bit his cheek, "You and I both know that it can be done without me trying anything, and I know that it scares you."

"What?" She rose a brow.

"That I might get hold of your heart again, like I do of your body, and I'll admit I try." He brushed his thumb over her lower lip.

"There's nothing for me to be scared of." She got out of his tight hold.

"Keep repeating that." He said purposely getting a rise out of her.

She turned to him, "I don't need to."

He held out his hand for her, "Let's dance."

"We did, like an hour ago."

"And we can again." He said in a sing song voice.

She sighed giving her hand in his, he pulled her to himself, spinning her around, he thought he heard her giggle for a second before she crashed into his chest, she rose her feet to place over his, closer than ever , this time she kissed him.

Tangled in his arms, they watched how the sun rose slowly. She looked at him as he placed his chin on her shoulder, slowly sucking on her jaw.

She didn't know why but she felt peace. The very peace she had been missing.

"The sun is rising. It will burn us."

He smiled. "I'm already burning. But I don't mind. As long as you're my hell."

For a small second, his human shape faded and his real face, appeared.

His skin was blistered, his teeth were sharp, and his horns, they looked broken as if someone had torn it right from his head.

She almost gasped but then his human face appeared again.

"What was that!"

"Nothing. Just… let's go." He said getting up.

They were back in that dark room of his, which suffocated her today, "I saw something."

"We will not discuss that."

"Why?" she spat, "Why is that you get to hide everything!"

"You know well what that was." He growled.

"No I don't! if you and I are alike, do I look like that too, under my skin?"

She kept mumbling, "I can't be that hideous, oh no." She touched her face and looked at the skin on her hands.

He pursed his lips at her comment, he just moved a step back, then flashed away from her

..

..

Why was his touch so blissful, so peaceful? She hated herself for not having him as much as she did before. The resentment she felt to him was slowly fading away. Maybe it wasn't all his fault. But she didn't let her sanity reason.

"Stefan." She came down stairs.

"Yes," Like a puppy he was eager.

"Where is Damon?" She demanded.

His brows furrowed in anger.

"I'm here." Damon said as he walked toward her, one hand holding the bourbon filled glass.

"I want to go outside."

"No." He denied.

"What do you mean no? Let me go." She screamed.

"You can't."

"Damnit Damon. I want my freedom back. I'm sick of being trapped in this house." She shouted.

"Well. My Queen. You'll get your freedom back soon. But not today. I've heard Cade is in the town. I can't risk it." He replied.

She stomped her foot and left.

..

..

Damon had just left when Sage arrived with the news that they'd spotted Cade near the oak trees. Damon and Sage had been looking for a witch who was known to know how to turn back time. She charged heavy.

"Well. I want something in return too." The wicked old lady replied.

"And what is it."

"I want you."

She wanted Damon's vow that he'd be her slave if she does what he wanted her to do. He knew why she wanted that. She wanted that so she would trap him in the well that he dreaded and steal power from him as much as she wanted. He'd be trapped till the end of times but he was ready. For Elena's sake. He thought. He'll stay away from Elena for her because he loved her more than himself. He wouldn't be selfish with her. His love for her exceed sanity, he'd even pulled his horns from his roots because he didn't want to be devil anymore. He wanted to be pure like she was.

Cade had gotten a sniff of what he was about to do and he was on a mission to kill that witch.

Damon had gone to make sure that the witch was safe. Of course, Elena never knew anything.

She went to Stefan and pleaded to let her go outside. "Please, Stefan I'm sick and tired of this place."

After quite much time, Stefan agreed. "Okay but you'll just be in the garden." He said.

"Ok."

Stefan had just said the word that would dissolve his shield and in no time Elena dashed out of the house.

"Shit. Shit. Fuck. Elena. Come back." He shouted as he ran after her.

..

..

"Devil."

"Damon. Call me by my name." Damon said to Sage for the umpteenth time. "You're giving her, her freedom but the cost is yours."

He never answered.

"What about Cade? What if he go after her again?"

"He won't. Not this time." He had an idea he still hadn't shared with Sage.

"Remember your promise. Fin."

"Yeah I know."

He had just entered the castle ground when he could smell Elena's fragrance in the garden.

"Stefan!" Damon shouted. "Where the fuck is my Elena?"

Stefan appeared in thin air.

"Damon… she… she tricked me."

"Fuck!"

"Where do you think she'd gone?" Sage asked.

"To the dry well, where I died." Damon whispered. "That's the only explanation. I'm the only obstacle to her freedom."

"Damon but if she even touches your body,"

"She'll be under sleeping spell." He completed in a whisper. That was how he'd secured his body from other beings that wanted to kill him and dethrone him. "No."

..

..

She was sure, this was the forest, the forest Damon had died. She slowly walked toward the path that had been described in Stefan's diary.

And then just when she felt she'd give up she saw a very old well, covered with ancient tainted stones.

"His body should be here somewhere." She thought as she whispered a spell that she had learned from a book. It dug the ground as if it had been bombed.

She moved closer as she saw a torn cloth. She moved closer to dust it off and her hand touched something soft. A body. A dead body.

"Uncover." She whispered.

It was the dead body of a dark haired child as if he was sleeping. And then wind hailed. The sky roared and she felt the land shaking.

"What's happening?" She murmured as darkness prevailed in front of her eyes.

..

..

A child was weeping in the corner of a room. "I didn't do anything." He kept murmuring over and over again. His clothes were torn and dirty with mud. He hands were injured and bruised as he had been mercilessly beaten with a belt.

Who could do such a thing? Elena thought as she rushed to the crying child.

"Little boy."

The child looked up. His eyes were swollen from crying, his lips quivering.

"Please don't hurt me. I didn't do it."

"What happened? Who did it to you?" She asked as she sat closer to him and hugged him to comfort him. "Miss! I didn't do anything."

"Okay. Okay."

"What's your name?" She said.

"Damon… Damon Salvatore."

She felt like she froze. She looked at his eyes. They were deep blue like that of her Damon.

"Impossible."

She whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair. Even his head was bleeding. There was a deep gash.

"Who did this?" She asked.

"My father." He replied, still sobbing.

"But why?"

"Because he thinks I killed our cook. I didn't. I swear." He promised. "My little brother did it."

"What?" Elena gasped.

"Yes, Elena. I did it." She heard a cold voice. She knew who it was. It was Stefan's.

"Surprised. Well. You should. You did say a few days ago that I was the bigger evil, I could just hide it from everyone else." He snickered.

The little child snuggled closer to Elena, scared now.

"There's no use to comfort him. Let him go through his fate."

And then the door opened. An old woman entered. She seem to be oblivious to her and Stefan.

"Grandmother."

"Come with me boy."

She said as she unchained him.

"Where are they taking him?" She said as she pulled the little boy closer to her, as if protecting him.

"to the well, where they could kill him."

"What?"

"Yes, just watch."

"No. I won't." Elena said, but the old woman held the dark haired child's hand and led him out of the room.

And then Elena watched as they brutally fed him poison and threw him in the well.

She sobbed loudly as she tried to clamp her mouth shut, she tried to save him but it was as if they couldn't see her.

"He kept saying he didn't do it."

"Yes, he didn't. I did. I filled his mind with voices. I compelled him to be my partner in crime. But the townies started to notice and he had to become the scapegoat. It was his duty as a brother." Stefan gloated proudly.

"Why?" Elena whispered. "He was just a child."

"For you." He said as he stepped closer to her. "Because I needed you to release my true form from the hell. You needed to be born. And fates said that Damon needed to be involved. His heart would beat in your body."

"But weren't you an angel?"

"That was a charade that I'd to keep to the world."

"And Cade?"

"Merely my servant."

"If things gone my way, you'd transformed, I'd have banished Damon to hell and then I would sacrifice you and unleash my true form and powers." Stefan said, his eyes dark. "But that fucking idiot, that devil fell in love with you and tried to save you from me. Him and that slut Sage, always guarding you, I couldn't get rid of him because of the fucking sleep sorcerer's spell he put on his body, well, what do you know, you came to me yourself. And the best part, your devil can't fight me either because you'd been poisoning him yourself," He stepped closer and she stepped back until she was trapped between him and the wall. "I'd steal your body and sacrifice you, and then I'll be released forever. The Dark lord would finally return."

She was thinking of running away but he held her wrist and pushed her against the wall. "No point of running away because you're under the sorcerer's death spell, the spell Damon put to secure his body, you're asleep darling, forever, and this is just your mere soul, you're trapped."

..

..

 **Bet you didn't see that coming.**

 **Do review! This was like a game changer chapter and I'd been waiting to write this since the start. Do review because that would make my day. I really am eager to see what you think. What do you think will Damon do to save Elena? How will they redeem each other? Which Stefan be successful in killing Damon and sacrificing Elena?**

 **Review!**

 **Check out Inked Hearts: A story when Damon cheats on Elena and has to make up.**

 **Forget Me Not: Elena loses her memory of her husband.**

 **Fatal Attraction: A mobster husband whose wife doesn't know about his reality (DE)**

 **Go Follow my insta page dailydelenalives (Name: Daily Life of Salvatores) I make animated videos of DE post finale since JP won't give us that.**

 **Love you Carol, (scarlett2112) and Aisha for being my constant support!**

 **Please review?**


	18. The Devil's Pain

**Chapter 18: 'The Devil's Pain'**

* * *

Her beautiful lifeless body laid there, no movement, no sign. "No, Elena." He whispered as he walked toward her.

"No. No. I can't lose you." He sat on her side and pulled her body onto his lap and rocked her gently, he told her that he loved her, he kissed her cheek softly, he begged her to please come back to him.

"Damon."

"Stay back." He growled to Sage.

"Sire." The maid witch said, quivering.

"I told everyone to keep an eye on her." He shouted.

"We were keeping an eye on her."

"Then how the fuck did she escape." He yelled.

"I don't know sire."

Damon bit on his inner cheek before he growled and shouted a curse. A ball of fire dashed toward the woman before she burned to ashes right before his eyes. Sage flinched watching the woman burn.

"I'll destroy everyone. I'll destroy the world if she didn't wake up."

"Devil."

"Don't call me that!" He yelled.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She whimpered afraid of his rage.

He looked lovingly into Elena's face and pulled her body to his. "I'll bring you back. I promise."

..

..

"Sleeping beauty spell." Sage said, as she looked at Damon who was sitting next to his beloved's bed. Elena seemed like she was sleeping but everyone knew she was as good as dead.

That was Damon's secret for keeping himself alive. Anyone who'd go the well, to dig him up and kill him, would fall in a deep slumber, and would only wake up if the devil was killed or in other words banished to hell.

He cleaned the dirt off her face with a wet towel.

"She wanted to kill you, Damon. You see how stained her love is." Sage whispered.

"I deserve it. All the hatred. After all, my love was a curse for her. The minute I decided to make her mine, I stole every bit of happiness from her,"

"That's not true, Damon. If it weren't you, it would be someone else. Darkness was her fate." She said softly.

He turned around and murmured a spell, a light halo sphere surrounded her. It was a safety halo. He had a put a spell so that no supernatural being would come close to her except him.

"I repeat Devil. Her love is a disease, and it will only leave you until it finishes you."

"So be it. There is no way to hold something truly beautiful, not without consequences, there is a reason why roses have thorns."

..

..

He'd sat all day beside her and read so many books. He had tried so many spells and made so many potions, yet all to waste. In rage he burnt down his library and broke the potion cauldron.

When his servants came, he immediately told them to leave him alone or he would end up killing them too.

He could hear the whispers from the kitchen, "Master is really enraged. I'm afraid he will burn down the world and behead us all if mistress didn't wake up anytime soon."

"She can't wake up." Another servant said.

"What did you say!" Damon growled. "She will wake up."

"I am sorry, Master." He begged. "I meant that… Mistress Elena…,"

"Don't you dare say her name from your filthy tongue, you despicable creature." He hissed before he clicked his fingers and a flame erupted from the floor and surrounded the dwarf like creature.

"Sire. Sire." The man begged.

"Taking out your anger on them would do you no good, devil." He heard a cold voice.

He turned to face Cade and growled. He rose his fist ready to attack.

"I did not come here to attack, for what I want is mere inches away,"

"Never, Cade. I'll stand like an iron wall between you and her forever,"

"Sure, devil. But the question is, how long is forever? I see your beloved had been the victim of her lover's spell. As long as you're strong, she would never wake up and once you're gone, who is there to save her." Cade whispered before he disappeared.

..

..

He'd dressed her in the finest fabric. He watched her eagerly for an hour that seemed as short as a minute. He had pondered over Cade's words. He already knew that as long as he was alive, Elena wouldn't wake up. But what was the point of living if he couldn't live with her.

"Sage. Here are the ashes that will release your Finn from the confines of hell but promise me you'll save Elena. You'll help her vanish to a faraway land, give her a life that she desires."

"Damon, I-,"

"I need your oath." Damon demanded.

"I don't know… Damon, I…,"

"You'll have your Finn. I just need your word that my girl would be safe and happy." He demanded as he looked at Elena, caressing the side of her face lightly.

Sage bit on her lip before she nodded.

Damon pulled out a dagger and stared at it for a second. He had lived a long life enough. He wanted to live with Elena but it seemed like their fates were set to pull them part. But if it was between his life and hers, then he would always choose her.

"Damon."

"Hmm."

"She killed the devil inside you."

"What do you mean?" He asked, confused.

"A devil can never be so selfless." She replied.

He pursed his lips and nodded. So here it was. After all these years, this was the end. He thought. He clicked his finger and the body of his child self laid next to Elena on the bed. He cringed as he looked at his self. He remembered being so weak and vulnerable. He never wanted to face the pain of death again but it was inevitable. He swallowed thick, welcoming the world of damnation. He pushed down the stake inside the child's dead body with all force.

He was blinded by pain but it wasn't much as compared to the pain of living a life without Elena.

Elena woke up with a gasp as Damon slowly fell on the floor, gasping to breath.

"Where? What happened? Where am I?" She said as she looked around.

The halo around her was fading slowly.

"Mistress. Please, just stay calm."

"Damon. Where is Damon? I gotta tell him. It's not his fault. It was Stefan all along. He is the darkness. He planned everything." Elena spoke hurriedly.

Damon could hardly listen but still he cursed under his breath. So that's why he had disappeared suddenly.

"Where is Damon?" Elena yelled.

"Mistress. He is…," Sage trailed off pointing at a whimpering Damon.

"Noo. No. What happened to him?" Elena shouted. She jumped down the bed, almost tripping due to her head spinning.

Damon was gasping for breath.

"What's happening to him?" She asked, worriedly as she pulled him closer to her chest.

"He's dying."

"What!" Elena seemed shocked. Her eyes widened and she felt numb. "What nonsense?"

"He did it for you. It was either your life or his." Sage spoke softly.

"Elena. Listen. Look, leave me here. You need to leave. Now. My protection spell will finish as soon as I…" He gasped to breath, "Go. Leave me." He couldn't even speak through pain. Flashes of his childhood would come infront of his eyes.

"No. Damon, no. I'm not leaving you."

"It's no use." He almost seemed like he was going to cry. "My Queen, I can't survive. I have very limited time."

"No. Damon. I love you. I'll never leave you." She whimpered as she pulled his aching body close and kissed the top of his head.

A tear slid down his eye to his cheek. Oh, how much had he yearned to hear that.

"Woman. Help me pick him up." Elena said to Sage, ordering her to help her.

Sage helped her carry Damon to the bed. Elena covered him with blankets as he seemed to be shivering. She sat next to him and embraced him. "You need to go, Elena. Please, go. The shield will break soon," It was very hard to speak, every part of his body ached.

"No. Damon. I won't. Not after I know that it wasn't your fault. Damon, I met him. He did it all. He-," Before she could complete, his human appearance started to dissolve. Twin pointed hollow teeth emerged from his gums, his lips parted, his perfect hair were suddenly very thin and ugly, his skin was blistered as if he had been burnt, he seemed to have lost one eye and the other was still as beautiful as it had been in his human form.

She stared at him in utmost horror.

"Go away. Please, don't look at me. I'm scaring you. I know." He tried to hide his face in his hands.

She couldn't move for a while but then she decided to make a move. She inched closer, and moved his hands away from his face. His eyes were filled with tears. He was disgusted by his own self. He hated himself. And that broke her heart.

She cupped his face and looked deep in his eyes. "I am in love with you."

He bit on his lip, shaking a little.

He sighed as pain cut through his veins.

"What?" Elena asked.

"Please go, Elena. Leave me. I'm a lost cause."

"No, you're not." Elena denied.

"He doesn't have much time, Mistress." Sage spoke.

"But how long?"

"One week maximum."

..

..

This is a small chapter but next chapter is a major one. And it would be longer.

Stefan will make an appearance and let me tell you it won't be pretty. However, love conquers all. Let's see how Damon and Elena save each other or would they?

Tell me do you like the story and the chapter.

Tell me your favorite part. I'd be eagerly waiting for your reviews! They make my day. I'd be honest when I say that your love, reviews and messages helped me a lot with my mental health struggle. They make me smile

So do review!

Shout out to Carol (Scarlet2112) for 'Somewhere in my memory'. Holiday season is my favorite because of Carol's Christmas themed stories.

P.S: 4 chapters to go!


	19. The Devil's Wife

**Chapter: The Devil's Wife**

* * *

"Just kill me," She could hear him moan, "Please, it hurts."

Every breathe he took was hurting him. He was moving, turning right to left, taking deep breaths, wallowing like a puppy whose leg had been crushed by a fast going vehicle.

He opened his bloodshot eyes and stared at her as if she was the only thing that could ease the pain.

"My Queen, I've given him the medicine to relive the pain but it doesn't seem to be working," The healer witch said to Elena.

"There could be something that we could do," Elena said, her tone filled with worry.

"My Lady, there is a way, but it would be very painful, it would act as a temporary dose,"

"Why didn't you do it before?" Elena barked. "Can't you see how much pain is he in,"

"My lady, it's the sister herb of the poison that you gave the lord, but it would be harmful in a long run, it would relive him, but would weaken him more,"

Elena looked helplessly at Damon, who was withering in pain.

"It's very painful to apply too, we would have to scratch his wound on the heart with the most sharpest knife,"

"No. No." Damon moaned.

Elena pursed her lips and nodded, "Okay, do it."

The witch closed her eyes and the knife appeared in her hand.

"But hear me, woman. If you so much of think of harming him, I'll stab you in heart and eat it raw," She threatened, vicious.

The witch nodded as she moved closer to the devil.

"No. I order you to stay away from me," Damon snarled, when he could hardly speak.

Elena rushed to him and sat next to him, holding his fragile body in her arms.

"It's going to hurt, Elena. I am already hurting. I don't want to hurt anymore." He spoke like a child scared of the darkness of the world.

Elena didn't say anything, she leaned closer until their lips touched.

She could feel his wet cheeks, but she never stopped as she moved her lips along his. She kissed his lips softly. She opened her mouth and explored his tongue with her own and he moaned in pleasure.

He never felt it when the witch tore open his wound and poured down the herb water inside. She could feel him flinch but she kissed him harder to make him forget the pain.

"It's done, my lady." The witch whispered but they never stopped kissing. In the end, she gave up and left the lovers alone.

..

..

" _He's a monster." The cook shouted. "He killed my brother,"_

" _No, Mama. No Father, I didn't." He said, fear evident on his face._

" _Kill him!" He could hear the pastor order._

Damon woke up in cold sweat, looking around. Where was he? It seemed like he was back in his palace. Was it a dream? He didn't know. His eyes landed on Elena, his queen, his beauty, his lover. She was sleeping next to him. He took a sigh of relief. It was just a dream.

"No, it wasn't." He heard a cold voice.

He could feel the hair on his back raise in fear.

"Monsters littered the red death bed,

The best of the best wound up dead," He heard an evil laugh.

He looked around as beams flashed around.

"And doesn't it stab like a blunt knife,

That you lived a loveless life,"

"I didn't live a loveless life," Damon screamed, as the voices became louder.

A form of a child appeared in front of him, it was him, it was him when he was about to die, the helplessness and the fear of death visible on his face as clear as daylight. He leaned closer to Elena as if asking her for protection but she wasn't there, she had suddenly disappeared.

"Broken wings, broken heart,

I'll tear you two apart,"

"I know it's you Stefan. You want me to kill myself, but I'll fight. I'll fight for life because Elena wants me to." Damon spoke.

"You can't fight forever, Damon. That's what I said before you became the devil." He heard the cold laugh again.

" _Please, stop it. It hurts so much. Can't breath" The little dark haired boy cried._

" _Give up, Little boy, you can't fight forever."_

" _Bury him. Bury him," He heard the pastor shout as his father took the shovel and poured down the sand over him._

 _He yelped, begging with his eyes, asking his father to stop. "Please."_

Damon woke up with a sharp breath.

"No. No. No." He shouted as he tried to hide himself with his hands. "Let me go. I can't breathe. I can't breath,"

"Damon! Damon!" Elena said as she enveloped her arms around him.

"Elena, I can't breathe, they're burying me, they're killing me,"

"You're here, you're with me," She said as she hugged him tightly, running her hands through his hair.

"I didn't do anything. I didn't kill anyone."

"I know. I know, baby." She said as she made him look at her. She cupped his face and stared into his eyes. "You were framed by Stefan. I know. He manipulated you into thinking that you were the killer."

"What?" Damon seemed shook.

"It was Stefan. He told me that he did everything so they would kill you, he did to make you a devil,"

He pursed his lips, digesting the information.

"He wanted to make you the creature of hate but he couldn't soil your heart, the heart that always yearned to love," She placed her hand on his chest.

"But. But, it's too late, Elena." He murmured, looking at his hands.

"No, I'll save you, Damon, but promise me, you'll fight it, you'll stay with me no matter what," She said, holding his fingers and bringing it to her lips to kiss them.

"I'll do anything for you, my queen. Anything." He vowed before he took her in his arms for all that he had.

..

..

Since Damon was confined to bed, Elena had taken his throne in the palace and attended to his duties. As the queen of the world of sin, she had now the power to control the devils and save the world from their constant caius. It wasn't just that, she had to make sure the death birds are in control and go only to those whose time had come.

Sometimes, she felt them staring at Damon's room as if they could smell that he wasn't going to survive. She would then shoo them away, and stand like a guard in front of his room. But Sage told her that when the time comes, she wouldn't be able to save Damon.

She knew she had to be quick.

"Darkness can't be stopped, my lady." Sage told her. "He's our Lord, our everything. He is the ultimate force."

"But I have to save Damon, at all cost." She growled as she flipped through the pages of an ancient book. "He must have a weakness."

"I'm afraid that is impossible, my lady,"

Elena suddenly turned and held her by her throat. "I refuse to give up on Damon and nor will you."

"Yes, my lady." She almost shivered with fear from the raw rage in Elena's eyes.

..

..

Damon was coughing blood. Elena looked concernedly at him as she held him by his arm.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." He said when he saw the pain in her eyes.

"You will be." She promised. She leaned closer to him and nuzzled his face. He closed his eyes in great reprieve. "Does my face not scare you away?"

"Why? You're beautiful," Elena said as she lovingly cupped his face.

"No, I'm not, I'm hideous."

"You're the most beautiful person in the world to me, Damon." She said as she nuzzled his neck. "The most."

How could she love him so much? He could not understand.

"If only you could look at yourself from my eyes,"

He felt a lone tear slip through his eye and down his cheek. He couldn't just get over how much she loved him. It was something he'd always dream whenever he was all alone in his palace, dreaming of meeting her, back when Stefan had put a spell on her to keep him away from his queen.

"I wish time would stop and I could stare in your eyes forever," Damon whispered. "But it's slipping away."

"No." She murmured like a child who didn't want to give up her favorite toy.

"You know, I always dreamed about this, about the day you'd love me for me and not my human face, and isn't it pathetic that now that I have you I don't have much time left," He seemed like he was second away from breaking.

"I'd save you, please don't talk like that."

"He's the shadow lord, Elena, we can't fight forever." He shook his head, "But I promise you, I'll watch over you forever, from above the skies."

"Don't say that. We'll live a life that you've always dreamed for us." She said and she meant it. She leaned her face on his shoulder.

"How do you know about what I dreamt for us?" he murmured, smiling.

"You showed me last night, when you were unconscious." She said, holding his hand in hers.

 _There was a small house in the middle of forest. She was in her human form, lying next to Damon who was huddled close to her, his one hand around her waist pulling her closer to his chest. They were both naked, tired and sweaty from the passionate night they've had before. But they were still kissing lazily. Damon hovered on top of her, sucking on her neck now._

 _A little boy opened the door, and tip toed inside. He had dark hair and blue orbs, mischief filled in his eyes._

" _Boo!" He shouted._

" _Oh my god!" Elena pushed Damon aside instantly, trying to hide herself in the blanket._

" _Oh, what the hell, Leo, you can't come to Mommy and Daddy's room without knocking." Damon said in his sleepy tone, as he cuddled closer to a shy and freaked out Elena, hiding in the blanket as well._

" _What were you doing?"_

" _Wrestling." Damon replied._

" _Why? Mommy Daddy hgd a fight again."_

" _Yes,"_

" _Can I please sleep with you?"_

" _No!" Damon said, alarmed._

She didn't know if it was a dream of his, or something that would occur in future. It was a flash and it was beautiful.

"We'll have a house like that. A child and happy life," She murmured. "Maybe two so they could keep each other busy while we're busy… doing you know."

Damon let out a chuckle. "So they won't interrupt us."

"Yes."

He closed his eyes, smiling, and as he drowned into slumber thinking of sweet thoughts. Elena laid on his chest, looking at his face. She didn't know how but she'd save him.

..

..

His health was getting worse as the week's end was approaching. Elena was freaking out more and more with each passing second, but to her dismay there was no solution. Finally she came to a conclusion.

"Sage, bring me the finest woman we have in the palace,"

"yes, my queen."

What she was about to do was something that she never thought she'd do but it seemed this was the only possible way to save her lover.

Sage appeared a minute later with a human girl.

"Her name is Sybil. We've had her since five years. She's devoted to master and would do anything for him. We kept her hear for cleaning and helping master in his missions." Sage introduced her.

"It is an honor to see you, my lady." Sybil bowed.

"Sage will you please leave us be," Elena dismissed her.

Sage nodded and dissapered within an eye blink.

"What can you do for your master?"

"I'm nothing but a slave to him, I can die for him." Sybil's eyes remain glued to the ground.

"No. Don't die. I want you to live for him, live the life that he'd dreamed for us."

"What?" the girl rose her eyes for the first time to meet hers.

"I've made a deal with the shadow lord, in order to save his life. He wants me. I'll give up myself to him, but if he revives Damon, he is sure Damon would chase him to the universe's end for me, so I'm modifying his memories, he'll forget me, the only face that he'll remember is yours, can you do that? Live the life that he's dreamed for us, for me and him."

Sybil stared at her in shock for a minute but then nodded. She was nothing but a slave after all.

Tears flowed down Elena's eyes, as she nodded too.

"I'm sorry, Damon."

..

..

Damon was breathing harshly. Every part of his body hurt. Where was Elena? He needed to see her. Seeing her would numb the pain. He thought.

And as if he'd wished hard enough. She came through the door.

He sighed of relief, looking at her as if he'd seen the goddess.

She walked toward him with a smile, but that smile didn't reach her eyes. Was she sad? Why was she sad? He felt restless. He must know. He must make her happy.

"Baby."

"yes, my life."

"If I ask you for something would you give it to me?"

"Baby, I would lay down my life for you, the universe for you, ask and it's yours."

"I want your ring." She replied.

"My ring?"

"Yes."

He took off his ring, slightly groaning in pain. He held her hand and slipped down the ring on her left hand's third finger.

She closed her eyes in great reprieve. It wasn't exactly a marriage ceremony but she considered herself wed to him, she was his wife, now and forever.

She pulled him closer and hugged him tightly, her hands slowly drifted to his hair and then he felt it, as if memories were slipping away.

"Hi, My name is Elena." Her face was dissolving.

"What are you doing?" He pulled her away, breathing as if he'd run miles.

"You lost, Damon." He could see Stefan stand behind her.

"I have to do this to save you," She murmured.

"No. No." he murmured.

"Hi! My name is Sybil."

..

..

So guys this is it. Only two chapters left. How will Damon find his way back to Elena?

I'll be updating my new story soon.

And I'll complete this story by the end of this year.

Do review because it would mean the world to me!

Love you guys!


	20. The Devil's Goodness

**Chapter : 'The Devil's Goodness'**

* * *

It seemed like he was empty, like something was missing, but he couldn't figure it out. His girlfriend was cooking in the kitchen, smiling at him now and then. But the smile didn't melt him like it should, the touches and the kisses didn't feel like it should, like his memories told him. Was he feeling out of love? It felt like that sometimes. Like his heart didn't belong with this girl. Did he ever even loved Sybil?

But then he'd remember the sweet memories and smile, the walk in the snow, the vacation in the heaven, the passionate nights, when they used to make love. How lucky they were to get away from the Lord of darkness together, like he wanted, but what was it? Why didn't he want her anymore?

"Baby," she circled her arms around him and kissed him on the neck.

He sighed, looking at her.

And suddenly a face appeared before his eyes, warm chocolate brown eyes. Damon's eyes widened and his heart raced.

"What? Are you okay?" She questioned, surprised by his antics.

He pulled away from her and looked toward the fog covered glasses. "Elena." That name was on loop in his mind. But he didn't even know any woman named Elena. Then why did his heart race by the mere thought of that name. Who was the owner of those beautiful brown eyes that haunted him. Why didn't Sybil's lips tasted like the taste that he'd grown to love.

"Baby, you're acting weird?"

"I apologize my queen," He said turning around to face her. He shouldn't be thinking of non sense things. He has his soul mate, his queen with him, and that's it.

'how sad is it, you can't even recognize your own heart?'

..

..

Elena was his slave. He could make her do anything, but whenever he tried to come close to her, she would step away, and snarl at him. Stefan, the darkness, could make her do anything except touch her. And he hated that. He could easily force himself on her but that wouldn't be fun, would it? Stefan thought.

Of course, he despised how she loved his brother, that wrecked no good devil. He was on her mind, even though he was a thousand miles away.

"Elena, come here." Stefan asked for her.

She walked to him, and stood tall in front of him, staring dismissivly at his eyes.

"Look at that," Stefan pointed to a absolutely nothing but then pictures started to form in the wall of nothingness, it was Damon, with Sybil, they were together, he had his arms tight around her, while she kissed his cheek, watching tv.

"how beautiful, isnt it?"

Elena looked away, tears stinging in her eyes.

"Give up." He whispered. "You can be my queen. You can be mine. Just give up."

"Never," She snarled.

"Elena. Elena."

"Just finish me. You wanted to sacrifice me, to unleash your full form, then why am I still alive?" She shouted.

Stefan smirked. "I do. But I'm afraid, the right time hasn't come yet. Did you think about my offer?"

Just a few days ago, Stefan had asked her to get in bed with him, in trade for her freedom, he promised to make her his empress of darkness if she forgets Damon and love him instead. Elena laughed in his face and told him that loneliness is getting to his head, and he can do nothing other than buy love for himself.

Stefan didn't believe her. He made himself believe that she was just in her phase of forgetting Damon. He told her to think it over.

He didn't want to admit but chasing after Elena all these centuries had made him obsessed about her. He believed that he always wanted her for the sacrifice but now he wanted more. He wanted the love she felt for Damon.

"I spit on you and your offer." She said, smirking back.

He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her to him, "you know, I can easily get what I want but I am giving you a choice because I have rather taken a liking to you."

"Go to hell," She growled.

He threw her against the wall. "Prepare for your death then."

If he doesn't get her, no one should. He thought.

..

..

Klaus walked inside the temple. He would be damned to hell if someone spotted him, but he couldn't stand the injustice. He was a creature that sucked souls out of people, he was the creature of hate but last night, something happened that shook him.

Last night, when he walking down a street in search for his soul, he found his old friend, lying in the middle of an empty road.

" _Damon," he whispered as he walked to the road._

" _Welcome, you filth,"_

" _What are you doing here?" he asked as he stared at Damon._

" _I don't know, Klaus." Damon said, looking at the sky. "Sybil is at home, making dinner for us, she tries to make me so happy, but I'm not."_

" _Sybil?" Klaus looked at him weirdly._

" _yes, my queen,"_

" _but Klaus, something is wrong." Damon looked at him for the first time. "It doesn't feel right."_

" _then how does it feel?"_

" _I feel empty. Life seem meaningless." Damon was looking back at the sky again, as if searching for someone desperately. He seemed wrecked._

 _Klaus shook his head, unbothered by the emptiness in him, he was about to turn away when Damon stopped him, rushing in front of him._

" _What?"_

 _He took a deep breath. "Ages ago, I trapped you in our world, because you'd sold your soul to me, to save your wife's life,"_

" _I remember that, thank you very much," Klaus hissed. It always hurt the creature of underworld when you remind them of the way they died and were damned to the world of hate._

" _I release you today. Go to your wife, go to your children. Live your life with love, for its only given once." And with that he disappeared in the darkness._

Damon had released him from the world of hatred and darkness, so it was his turn to do something in return for him. Klaus bowed down to the temple and muttered a prayer that he remembered he used to practice before he was trapped.

An angel appeared right in front of him, surprised at what she was facing. "What on…, you. You? You are human now." Lexi hissed.

Klaus bowed and kept pleading for forgiveness.

"Rise human! Why did you call me?" Lexi asked.

"To reveal a secret to you." Klaus murmured. "I have seen the true face of darkness."

..

..

Damon was walking toward the end of the roof, with the caged bird in his one hand. He reached the end, looking at the open sky, why did it feel like he was trapped in nothingness. He wanted to cry but he didn't know why, he was lost, or did he lose something, he didn't know, all he knew was, that he was searching for something, someone, some goodness.

He opened the cage of the bird and let it fly away to freedom.

" _I hate it, when people trap these animals in cages," She said as she looked at the Zebra. He couldn't see her face, clearly, maybe it was Sybil, like his memory suggested but his heart believed other wise, it wasn't Sybil, it was her. The doe eyed beautiful girl that he would dream about sometimes._

" _Would you rather they release them on us?" Damon laughed, holding her arm. "So they can have a nice lunch, munching on our bones."_

" _That's not what I meant," She made a face._

He looked down the rail, to the people shopping. Christmas was around the corner, Elena loved shopping for trees… wait what? Elena. Who was Elena? He was with Sybil, the woman he loved, didn't he? At least he thought he loved.

He was lost in his thoughts when his eyes landed on brunette girl, she was looking at a couple yearningly, a boy and girl, buying Christmas lights.

"Elena." He murmured.

The girl seemed to listen to him, even though she was so away. Her eyes locked with his, for a moment she seemed stunned but then she turned to walk away.

"No. Wait," He said.

She ran down the street.

Damon was almost going to jump off the roof. "No. No." He said as he clicked his finger and was transported to the lane near her.

She was running away, looking back to see if he was following him. She sped up when she saw that he was close.

He chased after her, street after street, pleading her to stop.

"Please, Elena, stop. Stop!"

Elena turned to a street and then another, she found herself at a dead end, she looked back to see an empty street facing her. Maybe she'd lost him. Her heart dropped. How could she be careless, she just wanted to look at him, he shouldn't have spotted her, what if Stefan finds out that she's still keeping an eye on Damon, what if he harmed Damon again. She thought. But then suddenly, someone pushed her against the wall, hands captured on either side of her head.

A gasp escaped her lips as her brown eyes met blue.

"Damon."

"Elena." He whispered. He kept staring at her as if he was looking at the most beautiful sight in the world.

A thousand thoughts were rushing about in his head, how did he know her? Why did he want her so bad? Why the hell did he chased a total stranger across the town, why was he holding her like she was his world. And most importantly, why did his chest throb like he had found his heart.

"Step away from her." He heard a growl.

He turned to find Stefan, his brother facing him with a red face as if he wanted to shred him into pieces, anger and jealousy he had never seen before.

..

..

So guys, last episode left.

Quite a build up right?

The last one would be epic. I really hope you guys like this.

What do you think about Damon and Elena here?

Review

Merry Christmas and happy new year! May your year be filled with happiness and love!

Special shout out to Scarlet2112, for posting the most amazing Christmas theme stories.

Also please check out the first chapter of my new story Love Sex Sins and Porn, the next chapter would be updated soon.

I'm planning to make delena Othello version, what say?


	21. The Devil's Demise

**Last chapter: 'The Devil's Demise'**

* * *

 **DEDICATED TO ALL MY READERS! (ESPECIALLY GUEST READERS. LOVE YOU ALL**

* * *

He stared into her eyes, then let his gaze roam over her hair and to her lips imprinting her in his mind. He knew her, he just did. It all started to make sense now, why he was always so anxious, why he always felt like his life was incomplete.

"Step away from her," Stefan shouted but he couldn't. "Devil, you're my servant, step away from her!" Stefan shouted.

"I refuse to bow to you, darkness, not again."

"Elena, you're breaking your promise," he hissed again but Damon could barely blink. "Return my memories, Elena," he said to her, stepping closer. "I know you did something to me,"

"I don't know what you're talking about me," Elena said, trying to get away.

Before Stefan could do something to tear her apart from him again, Damon turned and zapped him with a spell. Stefan fell back with a wicked cry and before he could regain his power, Damon held Elena closer and transformed them to his castle.

..

..

It seemed like she was in the basement, the place he used to lock her up whenever she would get out of control.

"Damon." She whispered.

"I don't remember you but I know you are mine." He said, stepping closer.

"you need to let me go." She begged. "I promised him that I'll do whatever he says if he heals me. And I can't break my promise."

"But what about our promises." He said, as he punched the wall, making her squeal, "When we were in each other's arm promising each other eternity, one of us was lying," Damon whispered to her, "and it wasn't me,"

"I had no choice." She cried. "you'd died."

"Then you should have let me die," he shouted. "Give me my goddamn memories back." He hissed.

"I can't." She refused.

"Then you'd stay here until you do so." He said, his tone bold.

"If I give you your memories back, what you let me go?" She asked, holding his arm.

"Elena, I barely know you right now, but the connection I have with you, makes me want to rip everything into two, that parts us, how do you expect me to let you go when I get my memories back." He replied, truthfully, staring into her eyes. "The love I feel for you is uncontrollable. I envy the air that touches you, this fabric on your body, (he tore the sleeve) it shouldn't touch you so intimately, do you see what you do to me," He was towering her now, "Does that answer your question. You're not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever."

..

..

"You did wrong by me, Elena." Stefan hissed. "you promised to obey me and you dare to break your promise. You don't know what I'd do to you." He closed his eyes, as he murmured a spell. "But how? How did Damon remember her."

"Love." He heard a female voice.

He turned to see Lexi stand behind him.

"Don't you see, darkness, you can never defeat love,"

"Lexi, my former chief." Stefan bowed mockingly.

"you tricked me." She accused him.

Stefan chuckled. "Well, it wasn't much my fault, you're vain. You call yourself chief of all goodness and yet you could never see my true intentions."

"Well, I admit, I was a fool but now that I have seen your true face, I'll destroy you." She said, raising her hand to cast a spell but before she could even move, Stefan materialized a dagger and aimed right into her heart.

Lexi choked blood as she fell on her knees.

"Did you forget I was your student," Stefan said, in a cold tone, "I know all your tricks, farewell goodness chief, see you in hell."

..

..

She was sitting near the bars, while he looked at her like he had never seen anyone before, like she was the reason he existed, like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

She didn't look back at him because she was afraid she would break and tell him everything. She needed to stay strong, breaking a promise with the darkness could cost her Damon's life, that she could never bear, ever again.

"Give up, Elena." Damon murmured.

She looked away, hiding her face in her hair

A wisp of air, came, flying her hair away from her face.

She smirked, remembering all the times that Damon had stayed with her, without her knowledge, the wisp of air was just so familiar, she knew he had generated that.

"Damon, you gotta let me go before he comes."

"He can never find us," Damon replied, stubbornly.

"He is the lord of darkness."

"And I'm the king of all evil." He replied, menacingly.

"Damon, I made an oath, you know I can't break it." She pleaded.

"I don't care, I don't care." He shouted. "It's either us or nothing, Elena. I'll die, I'll die gladly but I need you, I need our memories, I need it, please." He pleaded, like a child. His deep-set blue eyes were filled with grief, and the lines on his face spoke of a burning rage.

"I can't bear it. It hurts to be away from you." He said.

She couldn't stand it anymore. She lost.

She moved her hands through the bars and cupped his face, he reached closer and closer for her until their noses touched. Their mouths melded into hot, unending sweetness as he took charge of the kiss, hungrily tasting her lips, teasing her tongue with his own, trying to get his fill but he couldn't. It was impossible.

Slowly, slowly, she gave him his memories back, not overwhelming him. But he was shaking, it was euphoric, he had her in his arms, he remembered why he felt incomplete, why he always felt like there was hollowness in his chest, it was because his heart wasn't with him, his heart was away in the clutches of the cruel dark lord.

He pulled away as soon as he remembered Stefan.

"What happened?" Elena questioned him.

He raised his hand and the iron bars melted. He pulled Elena to him.

"I… broke my promise." Elena gasped, remembering what she'd done. "No. No." She tried to pull out of his grip but he held her tightly. "Damon, please let me…"

"No." He said, looking at her.

"Damon, he'll kill you."

"I rather die." He replied.

She felt tears slip out of her eyes, rolling down her cheek. "You don't understand-,"

She knew that breaking an oath always ends up with severe consequences. Especially a deal with the darkness himself.

"Look at me." he said, his voice breaking now, "Elena Gilbert, I was empty, hallow, a dead man without you. You taught me how to live, how to love and if I have to live without you then it's not worth it. I don't care how hard being together is, nothing is worse than being apart."

She took him in her arms, burying her head in his neck. "I can't live without you either."

..

..

Damon hid Elena in the cave where Cade had hidden the raven which held his life. He knew for the fact that no magical entity could ever leave it. He had a brilliant plan mapped up.

He was waiting by the fountain, waiting for Stefan for show up and like he had predicted Stefan did show up.

"Hello brother." Damon smirked as he saw Stefan enter.

Stefan shook his head and chuckled coldly, looking over at Elena. "So here we are, huh, you and I, brother, fighting over one girl that we both want."

"I want her because I love her, you want her because of your selfish purpose." Damon spat.

"Well, whatever you say. I don't have much time. Hand her over to me and I might spare you." Stefan said, stepping toward them.

Elena held Damon's arm tightly, hiding from Stefan's gaze.

"I see you have returned him his memories. You broke the oath, Elena. You know what that means right… I can now take anything from you." Stefan said, his eyes filled with fire.

"Of course, that is, if you ever reach her, and to reach her you have to go through me." Damon said, standing in front of her, hiding her from Stefan's direct gaze. He wouldn't want anyone to even look at her the wrong way.

Stefan shook his head again. "you really think you can beat me, the eternal, the entity that gave you your powers."

"I wouldn't fight you. I use this little thing called brain, that you surely forgot to use in your madness to get to Elena." Damon said gleefully.

Stefan raised a brow as if asking what he meant.

"You're trapped in your trap, Stefan." Damon said, circling his finger. "You're in the cave that no magical being can leave."

Stefan was shocked for a brief time but then he recomposed his face. "Well, if I can't leave then you and Elena can't leave either. I'll just kill you and then sacrifice Elena as soon as the sun sets, I'll be in my full form and then no magic can be parallel to mine."

"You forgot to count in one thing." He said, raising a small tube like thing.

"What is this?"

"The cure. Elena and I are taking cure. We'll no longer be magical entities. We'll be humans." He said, smiling.

"No. No." Stefan stepped toward them but Damon raised a wall of fire between them. He hurriedly passed the tube to Elena. She gulped down a couple of drops and then handed the remaining to Damon.

A beam of light hit them.

They could hear Stefan scream.

It was finally over.

..

..

Stefan was enraged. Not only has Elena broke her promise and returned Damon his memories but Damon also destroyed his chances of returning to his full form, by tricking him and locking him in the cave. Now the one particular day of the year that he needed for the spell, the one day that comes once in decade was gone. He was locked up for good.

No one breaks oath to the lord of darkness.

And he would surely take revenge.

..

..

The devil has died. Yes, he was dead. Damon Salvatore wasn't the devil anymore, he and Elena had drunken the potion to return to their human forms, to live a human life. Because that's what he and Elena wanted all along. They had returned to the falls, and back to their old apartment.

It had been five years to that fateful day that their lives had changed. Everything was normal. They were lying in bed, holding each other with only the sheet over them.

He trailed his hands down her face and neck, his fingertips moved down to the baby bump. She stared into his eyes as he caressed her stomach.

"When is the ultrasound?" He asked.

"Tomorrow," She said as she kissed the corner of his lips.

He trailed his fingers from her stomach to her naked hand, holding it, kissing the wedding band that marked she was his. Two years ago after their first born had turned two, they had gotten married. And it hadn't taken them long to make baby number two.

He kissed her shoulder then her neck and then her lips. Taking full possession of her lips, he let his tongue explore in her mouth. He reached down and groped her butt.

"It's also your birthday tomorrow." She murmured. "you'll be old. Thirty." She made a face, making him roll his eyes. "Thirty yes, but swoon worthy."

She let out a chuckle as she ruffled his hair.

"So what should I buy for your birthday."

"Nothing. I have you. I don't need anything else." He said, as kissed her lips over and over again.

"Mommy, Daddy, kissing?" Leo asked as he entered the room, his eyes closed.

"Oh, Leo. Shit." Damon said as he covered him and Elena with a blanket.

"Damon," Elena warned him, reminding him not to say the curse words in front of the children. (Yes, she thought baby number two could hear too.)

"Leo, mommy and I are busy." He said to his son who was always interrupting them.

"but you're only kissing." Leo replied peeking through his eyes.

"Yes, as I said we are busy." Damon replied, as Elena quickly wore her bra and underwear under the blanket to Damon's dismay.

"You're always kishing(kissing) mommy." Leo rolled his eyes. "That's not being beeezy(busy)."

"Little twit." Damon rolled his eyes just like Leo did a second ago. Elena laughed noticing how much they were both alike. "Don't be cheeky with dad," Damon reminded him.

By now Elena had already worn a sweater too.

She jumped down the bed, walking toward their little one.

"What is it, Leo? You okay?"

"I don't wanna sleep in my room, mommy, I see monster under bed." He complained again.

Damon huffed. As if monsters could enter the house of the man who used to be the uncrowned king of the evil. They wouldn't dare.

"Leo sonny. There is no such thing as monsters. You're so brave. You're my son. Even if there are monsters, you'd beat the crap outta them." Damon replied, lovingly. He wasn't like his father, he was kind, he was a loving and unlike typical fathers he didn't hide that under a layer. He picked up his pant from the floor in a quick move and wore it underneath the blanket.

"Do you want to sleep with us?" Elena asked him.

He nodded.

"Come here." Damon motioned him, smirking.

Leo ran toward his father and jumped into his arms. Damon wrapped his arms around his son, pushing him close to his chest and kissed him on top of his head.

"Goodnight, daddy."

"Goodnight sonny."

Elena smiled as she watched the duo interact. She wished with her heart no evil would ever reach her family again. But the evil was coming it was close.

..

..

It's been five years more now. Everything was perfect. Damon and Elena had now slowly begun to forget their past; they had moved on to their normal life.

It was Leo seventh birthday. Damon and Elena had a daughter too now, her name was Alexa, as in named after Lexi, the angel that died for their union.

Elena had completed her studies and she was a working doctor now while Damon owned a pub. Their life was like any ordinary couple, except their extraordinary love and past.

Sometimes, Damon think he didn't deserve such a perfect life. He had ruined so many lives, if there was any God then he would never give Damon such a happy life. But then again, he had suffered so much pain, he earned it. He had earned Elena. He had cried tears for her. He had suffered pain for her. He deserved every bit of it. He would tell this to himself.

He relished every day of his life.

"Daddy," He was lost in his thoughts when he heard Alexa's voice. "Are you awake?" She said, shaking him.

"No." Damon said as he pulled her into bed, and tickled her with his nose.

"Daddy, stop. Please. I'm gonna pee." She said between giggles.

"What's up here?" Elena asked as she entered the room. Her hair was wet, she had just showered. She was as beautiful as the first time he had seen her on the road. What was with him today? Damon thought. Why was he thinking of the past so much?

"Daddy tickling." Alexa could barely speak.

"Damon, let her go, she needs to get ready for school." Elena said as she walked toward the dressing. She picked up compact, trying to hide the huge hickey Damon had given her just last night. Their love making sessions were just as steamy as they used to be. One minute they'd be watching tv and the next minute Damon would have her shirt on the floor, fucking the daylights out of her while she whispered his name in ecstasy.

"Why are you so beautiful!" Damon said, as jumped from the bed to her.

"Daddy flirting with mommy." Alexa said giggling.

Usually Elena would have brushed off his advances and told him to help her get the kids ready but today she had something to ask from him. She turned toward him and looped her arms around his neck. "why are you so handsome!"

"someone is in good mood." Damon murmured as he pulled her closer.

"Damon, can you do something for me."

"I'll give my life for you." He replied.

"I don't need your life, I just need your signature." She pouted.

"Oh no. No. NO!" He said as he pulled back. "Wicked witch, you really know your way with me."

"Damon, Leo really wants to go on this trip."

"Well, he's not going. I don't think it's safe." Damon replied, back to his strict father mode.

"It's a school trip."

"They can be careless, they can lose him, you know how devious he is."

"Says the devil." Elena muttered under her breath.

"Don't say that word inside my house." Damon replied.

"Please." Elena made a face.

"N-O."

"Please with sugar on top."

"No."

"Please with me on top." Elena said as she looped her arms around him again. She wouldn't be bribing her husband like that but Leo had begged her to appeal his case to Damon. In his words, 'Daddy would never say no to you, you're his favorite person in the world'.

"Elena, you know how uncomfortable I get whenever they're not within my eyesight range."

"Damon, stop being so over protective, let them live their life." She said.

Damon took a minute, then with a deep cold sigh, he nodded in defeat.

"Yeah." Elena shouted as she quickly pecked him, picked Alexa up and walked down the stairs.

Damon smiled seeing her happy but then an uncomfortable feeling took over him. Why did he feel like he had made a mistake?

..

..

"I cannot believe we are doing this." Elena made a straight face.

So Damon had decided that, he, Elena and Alexa will be tailing the school bus, to the trip destination so they could make sure he was safe. Of course, Leo was unaware of he would have flipped.

The bus stopped at a certain picnic point. While all other kids roamed around, Damon and Elena stayed close to Leo, of course, he didn't know.

"I am just making sure, he is safe."

"When he is 18 he will have to move out, what would-,"

"La-La-I'm not listening." Damon said, loudly. "Wait, this place seems familiar." Damon said looking around. "Elena." He signaled to the cave. The very cave that Stefan was trapped in.

Leo was slowly walking toward it.

"LEO! Stop!" Damon shouted.

Leo halted immediately, looking back to see his parents close by. Damon rushed to him, and picked him up.

"Dad, what the-,"

"Keep quiet. Leo. Not a word." Damon said, for the first time in years, angry.

Leo hadn't ever seen his father so fierce. He quickly looked down, obediently.

..

..

When Leo was eighteen, Damon and Elena told him all about their history, about how they met, what obstacles they had to face to be with each other, and all about Stefan. It was unbelievable for

"Is there no way to completely destroy him?" He asked, a little worried. Now he understood why his father was always paranoid whenever Leo had gone a bit far.

"Darkness is trapped but he can never be truly gone. Not so long as the world exist." Damon replied. "But you have to understand that there is a certain allure to darkness that we all will have, it will travel in our blood line,"

"The only way to defeat it, is love." Elena added. "Damon turned wicked when he was unloved. Darkness can never win from love."

Leo nodded. "I understand now."

"You'll be going to college this year, we thought it's finaly time you knew why we were always so protective." Damon said. "I know we were annoying folks but-,"

Leo embraced his father. "you care, I know."

Damon wrapped his arm around him. It was so hard to let him go, knowing how dark the world could be.

When he pulled back, Elena held his hand, whispering. "It's okay. You'll always have me."

"Like I would ever let you go." He whispered back.

..

..

He had been reading a book when he fell asleep. Someone softly ruffled his hair, and took the book out of his hand. He opened his eyes to see Elena looking at him, so softly, her eyes filled with pure love.

"You were watching me sleep."

"Nah, I was watching you drool over Lexa's book."

"I so don't drool." Damon said, wiping the corner of his mouth.

A light wisp of wind passed, and so came in the light drizzle.

"It's raining," Elena said as she looked outside.

Before Damon could say anything she walked toward the balcony and twirled, spreading her arms.

Damon watched her awe struck. All these years and he still couldn't get over how beautiful she was.

"Wanna dance, Mr. Salvatore?" She said seductively.

He offered his hand.

As soon as she took it, he pulled her inside. "Nope. Too cold. You'll get sick."

"No fair. Damon you're no fun." She muttered but he held her in his arms tightly until she submitted and surrendered in his being.

..

..

He had been sick for a while now. He never knew being human could be so tough. But old age was getting to them. But he still hurried toward the fountain where he had promised to meet her.

Forty years of their marriage and yet they were in love like a teenage couple.

She was holding and umbrella, talking to a neighbor.

"I told Lexi to bring her children for the holidays but I don't think she can make it this time. Leo would be coming by though. Damon is like… I don't want them, his children make too much noise, he even swore to write him off the will if he brought his what he calls devil's spawns, but I told Leo, it's fine, I'll handle that old man." She yapped non stop. "He's late again today."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Damon said as he walked toward her.

"Don't talk to me." Elena said as she walked forward, holding the other woman's arm.

"I was late because I was getting you something."

That stopped her. She turned to face him and saw him holding a white rose. "Excuse me." She said to the woman and walked toward Damon. "You went to the forest."

"To get you this." He said as he offered the flower again.

"Damon. You didn't need to go there." She said taking the flower. "You know it holds… bad memories."

"No. It doesn't." He said, holding her hand and caressing it. "I don't regret it. I am glad all that happened. I wouldn't have met you otherwise, and that would be tragic," he was serious as hell.

She laid her head against his shoulder. "All these years and…"

"and nothing changed." He said, cupping her face. "I love you. I love you like no one can. You're my heart."

She smiled a soft smile, shying from his gaze.

"Let's go home, you romantic old fool."

..

..

He was holding her hand as the pain in his chest increased. The doctor had wanted to give him anesthesia but he refused. He knew this was the end of his human life. He had lived a long happy beautiful life with the woman he loved and this was it.

"Elena. Hold my hand please." Damon said as he took deep breathes.

"Dad, I've called the ambulance. You'll be okay." Leo said, worriedly.

Elena was quiet, her heart was beating as if she had run miles. She was holding his hand tightly, staring into his eyes.

"Smile, my love, your smile is far beautiful than a thousand stars,"

She smiled, leading his hand to her heart.

"My heart. Your heart."

He breathed his last breath as he stared deep in her eyes.

Tears rolled down her face as soon as she realized he had stopped breathing. "Damon." She could barely breath.

A wisp of wind passed, making her hair fly. And she could feel him again. He had never left. He was there.

"I love you." She whispered, feeling her heart break into a million pieces.

..

..

Only after a week, she died too. It was shocking for everyone how she followed after her husband just so immediately but then again she couldn't live much longer without her husband, the man who had waited a thousand years for her, a man who had suffered for her, a man who had sacrificed his life for her.

Her soul walked toward the road she had first saw him. He was right there, arms wide. Young again like he used to be. She ran toward him, while he opened his arms for her, she jumped right into them.

"Damon. Oh. Damon, I missed you."

She seemed to relax and submit at that moment, so he pulled her closer to his chest and kissed her deeply until she moaned. She suddenly put her arms around him with an embrace of passion that told of her desperate need for his love, a love that could never be sated.

Legend says it that travelers can sometimes still see the pair of lovers, arms in arms, with each other, around that spot. Even in death they had found a way to each other. No power in the world could part them.

The story ends but this love story doesn't. Because true love stories don't end.

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..

* * *

 **So this is the end.**

 _Let me be honest, the original end had a pretty sad ending. Elena was to die and the devil would be lost searching for her in the world, with no memories but I just couldn't do that to them. Damon and Elena should always be together no matter what. DE won me over too._

 _This is the reason I took so much time in updating._

 _I hoped you liked the brief life story of theirs after they got married_

 _So this marks the end of another story, the devil's obsession. Please don't forget to review as it would mean the world to me. I really love what you guys have written for me in feedback._

 **P.s: Help me reach the 1k mark reviews in this story. Love you guys!**

 _ **I have also written a new short story. Here are the details. It's very close to me as it is** **a very** **important issue and I relate to it. I'd love if you tell me your opinion about it.**_

Title: Like A Battered Winged Angel

Summary:

Damon had been in love with his best friend Elena since forever but she never noticed him and dated other guys, breaking his heart every time. Life takes a cruel turn when Elena's latest boyfriend turns out to be a human trafficker, he sells her to another con as a sex slave. It's up to Damon to save Elena before she gives up and it's too late. Dark theme. Angst. 4 episodes only.

 **This is super angsty. Damon is that** one sided **lover who always waits for her and Elena never notices him until the scary episode in her life. Please check this out.**

Take care.


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